JUNE

MAY

APRIL

MARCH

Nick was transferred to Burley with Elder Smith as his companion. He knew Elder Smith and they get along well, so he's excited about the transfer. Also Elder Smith is a good missionary! Burley is like Buhl because it's out in the country, but Burley is a lot bigger. Nick wanted a remote place at the end of his mission because there are a lot more humble people out in the country and it would be easier to focus on the work. He also said he wanted to see a new side of life before he goes home. They live with an older single lady, Sister Anderson. She's awesome! And she knows they don't get a lot of money, so she wants them to eat all of her food. She has a piano with the books Nick used to play from, so he started playing again. He likes to play, just not practicing.

He's really going to miss Boise North; it became like home to him. He tied the record for the longest missionary who stayed at Sister Binkley's house. And she became like a mom to him. He had so many cool people to teach there that it was sad to leave them all. Saying his good-byes was the toughest it's been since he left Boise West. Boise North became his favorite area. But he's excited to serve in Burley, is a zone leader there, and has a great group of missionaries there; some he's been wanting to serve with.

He met a lot of cool people the first week in Burley. Most importantly, they set a baptism date with Tim Jarvis. Tim is 20 with a one year old son and is going through a divorce. He's been through a lot and really wants to change.

They met a family named the Hammonds that they're going to start teaching. The funny thing is that he baptized some of their family members when he was in Buhl. It's funny how small the world is sometimes!

The met another family named the Blauers. They are super cool. One of their daughter's boyfriends is 16 and is the national champion in pogo sticking. Nick's amazed by it. He jumps 10 feet in the air and does backflips and front flips off the stick and lands on the ground. He can also flip off one stick and land on another then jump away. He's already getting paid and down out to do half time shows.

They got a media referral where a lady was referred to them by a member of the stake. He doesn't know why they didn't just call the missionaries directly, but it's all good. She said she's been studying a lot and thinks that she should be baptized. Media referrals are texted to their phone. Usually it's just somebody wanted a free bible, and don't often result in the discussions.

They also met a guy named Israel. His whole family has joined the church, but he's always been too stubborn to take the missionary lessons. He now thinks it's time, so they started teaching him.

Nick did exchanges with Elder Etherton and had a lot of fun. They had a dinner appointment with one of the coolest families ever. The mom has a beauty salon in her house, and the family pressured the elders to wax the inside of their noses (ouch!). They couldn't back down. But it didn't hurt too bad, and his nose feels great now!

They've been reading the Book of Mormon with Brother Shelton, a less active member who has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. Reading with him has been really rewarding.

They've been meeting with another less active member, Michael Jordan. He's obsessed with cats and birds, and can go on and on about them. His dream is to watch birds have babies in the birdhouse outside his window, then watch them grow up (something Nick definitely doesn't get). They had to spend about ten minutes watching his favorite cat do tricks and listen to him tell the cat how much he loves it!

They had great lessons with the Studers and the Knobbes. They see each of them every Monday. They're both part member families. The Knobbes don't come to church often, but the Studers do. Except the Studers are not actually married, so they have things to work on with both families.

FEBRUARY

They set another baptism date for February 26th with a lady who has been taught for over two years. Her husband is a less active member, and three of her daughters were baptized a year ago, so they're very excited to see her make that step. Their only concern is that her church attendance isn't what they'd like to see, but she's definitely ready. A few weeks later, Nick said Christina and her eight year old daughter were getting baptized. He was very excited about that. But the best news of all was that the bishop decided that Joey, Christina's husband could baptize them!

They're teaching a family named the Halls who feeds them dinner every Monday. Sister Hall is an amazing cook and wants to cook bear for Nick (yes I said bear). She is looking into where to get the meat. They were talking about foods and how small town Idaho can eat weird things and she said she loved bear. Hmm...Nick would have never eaten that if I had cooked it (not that I would).

On Valentine's Day Nick decided to read the Book of Mormon and Preach My Gospel before he goes home in June. If he finishes it sooner he'll read the New Testament. Some missionaries do something called the Doctrine and Covenants countdown. They read a section each day to know how many days they have left until they go home. He would really like to read it cover to cover, but he doesn't want a daily reminder of when he's going home. Although he's super excited to go home, he knows that he needs to stay focused on the current task.

One of the ward mission leaders has another family over every Monday night for the lessons as a family home evening. One night they wanted to switch it up and do something fun, so they all went bowling.

They met two new cool families, the Bowkers and the Ciccarillos. Brother Bowker's wife is a member, and he says that as of now he is not interested in baptism but he would like them to come over and talk to him, so it's all good. The Ciccarillos have been a less active family, but the bishop said they want to go to the temple, so the missionaries started visiting them. They're really laid back and super cool, and love having the missionaries over.

They met another new investigator named Carol. She is golden. She hasn't even had the first lesson yet, but is 99 percent sure the church is true and just wants to give it a little more time before she gets baptized. She is really cool and is good about coming to church every week. She loves it and her beliefs are already right there with ours. Later in the month, Carol committed to baptism. She wants a little more time, even though she knows it's true, so it'll be just after Easter.

For p-day they had some boxing matches in addition to playing basketball. It was Nick's first match because he's small and no one really matches up. The only guy that does has backed out every time. So Nick boxed with Elder Reynolds who has ten pounds on him, and Nick beat him. It was a blowout, but it was fun.

Nick got a 17 minute lecture from the mission president because he had six people in his car for about two miles. But Nick thinks it's not important enough to worry about. But a week or so later, President Cannon came to take Nick and his companion out to lunch, just to tell them they're doing a good job. And they went to Cafe Rio, so Nick really liked that.

They had big leadership meetings. The meetings are frustrating in some ways and awesome in in other ways. Awesome because you get to hear a lot of good stuff from President Cannon, and the discussions they have there are great. Also they learn a lot about how to be better teachers But the frustrating part is the suck-up people that go crazy there. The two missionaries that are assistants to the prez are way cool. They knew Nick was keeping track of who was gunning up or sucking up the most so they kept looking over at Nick when somebody did, or they'd come up to him as ask who was winning. I won't give the name of the winner.

Nick go to go back to Kuna for a baptism. 6 of the 7 members of the Erickson family were baptized. One daughter is too young. Nick said it was amazing to him. It was the second time he's seen a whole family get baptized. It's always the best to see a family do that and then talk about wanting to be sealed.

The met a guy named Ken who is old and pretty crazy. He's been taught by the missionaries before. They asked how his day had been going and he told them it was horrible because he only has TV to kep him company right now and the cable people had stopped by to shut it off. sister Schieflebein (a member in the area) was with them, and there was a rifle mounted on the wall. So she tried to lighten the mood by joking and asking if he chased them off with the rifle. He said "no, I chased them of with this," and he held up a hand gun. Nick's companion asked to see it, and Ken told him to be careful because it was loaded. So Ken had chased around the cable company with a loaded handgun!

There was a gas leak in the home where Nick lives, which was a pretty scary. But he said they got it fixed right away. He said it was still a little scary going to sleep that night because he personally knew one of the missionaries who was killed from carbon monoxide poisoning in his sleep. Hmm...I thought I sent Nick a carbon monoxide detector.

And he mentioned later in the month that the area would be going crazy with baptisms if it wasn't for parole.

JANUARY

Nick said the most excited thing that happened the first part of January was that an investigator, Annalyn, changed her baptism date. Usually when someone changes their baptism date, it's a bad sign, but this time she wanted to move it up a week. He said the baptism will be awesome.

They got a lot of new investigators, which is always good, because it keeps things fresh and interesting. Mike wants to be baptized, but has to wait until he gets off of parole. That seems to be the case with a lot of people in his area. They have three people that want to be baptized but can't because of legal troubles. But Nick says that's okay as long as they make sure it happens when their parole is up.

Nick got sick with a bad flu--he had a throbbing headache, a crazy fever, chills and was achy. He was taking naps whenever he could for a few days, then got so bored that he went to two lessons and held his district meeting. It lingered on for quite awhile.

They had Annalyn's baptism and it all went great. They were talking to her about how a lot of recent converts fall away from the church due to the pressure of being new members, and she promised that she will never be less active! She wants her three year old daughter to be baptized when she turns eight. Another really cool thing about the baptism was that a family he was teaching in Kuna, the Ericksons, showed up. They haven't been baptized yet, but told Nick they are close and will be soon. Apparently the same people who introduced Annalyn to the church also introduced the Ericksons to the church, so they invited them to see the baptism.

The last week in January was wild! Everyone got a mass voicemail telling them to keep their entire Saturday open. Then a few days later they found out that there was going to be a leadership training in Twin Falls with Elder Nelson (of the 12), Elder Gonzales (of the 70), and Elder MacMullin (of the first bishopric). They agreed to the mission before the training meeting. It was kept pretty quiet so that only missionaries would be there. Nick said it was pretty cool, and that they all gave great talks, but that Elder Nelson's talk was definitely the highlight. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to hear from someone like him. He spoke about faith, answered questions, and described a little bit about what a day in his life is like. Nick said it was too crazy for him! Elder Nelson also told them that their real missions begin when they get home and start a family. It was pretty crazy, but Nick loved his talk.

They had transfers on the 25th and he'll be staying with Elder Vakauta. He's fine with that because Elder V is pretty cool, laid back, and they get a lot of good work done. Their area was the whole stake, but this week the mission split the area and added a new set of missionaries. Nick says that's good for a couple of reasons. It means that they did good in getting a lot of work (necessitating additional missionaries), and now they'll have more time to spend with the wards they cover and the people they're working with within the wards. Usually when they split an area, the companionship splits in half and one goes to each half. But Nick's glad they're staying together and he thinks they got the better half of the area.

One of his friends, Elder Denning, left after this transfer. So they went to a farewell lunch at IOU Sushi. He was a good friend and Nick was sad to see him go.

The last week in January was fun. They met one of the coolest families ever, the Fathke's, and they're super fun. They were baptized a year ago and are really solid converts, which Nick said is always inspiring to see. The kids answered the door and the 13 year old son said it wasn't the best time. The 7 year old girl said "of course it's a good time. Mom, the missionaries are here and Austin won't let them in."

They were tracting and a guy named Joshua let them in. At first Nick thought he was a golden new investigator because he seemed interested and asked what the church believed. Then he asked them to read a scripture from the bible and Nick could tell exactly where it was going. He wanted to bash. Nick thought he was so rude, that he couldn't resist. He believed in the trinity, and Nick said he's studied it a lot and that it's his mission pet peeve. Nick just talked really calmly so it wouldn't become a heated argument. Then Joshua said a closing prayer and asked "please let these men see the truth so they don't burn in hell." Then Nick really wanted to kill him!

They had one lesson with all four of the missionaries in their area because it was with two related families, one from each of their new areas. The parents are members in one family, and one of the missionaries tried to commit the kids to baptism. Nick said you have to be much more careful when teaching kids because they don't have a way of getting to church unless the parents take them, so you need to be careful about how you handle it.

They continue to get more work in the area and it is good to see their hard work pay off.

Christmas & Birthday Photos

Yummy looking birthday cake, made by Sister Binkley's daughter. Nick asked me to knit him a sweater. Sister Binkley said it fit him perfectly, but it looks huge. One thing that hasn't changed on the mission...Nick's fake smile...or the hairstyle!

The Second Christmas in Idaho

The African family was baptized! Nick was a little worried that they weren't understanding everything since they don't speak English, but they went over the baptismal interview questions, and they got everything. They've come a long way and were very ready for baptism. They have a crazy story about how they got to America, and Nick says the fact that they come to church every Sunday despite not knowing the language is inspiring.

L to R: Bishop Blackburn, Pacific (translator), Etoka, Miambo, Regina, Eliza, Elder Huyett, Nick

Nick got a new companion, Elder Vakauta from Hawaii. He's half Samoan and half Tongan, not super huge, but was in the army and is ripped. Nick says Elder V could kill anyone so he feels very safe. Not that it matters. Part of their area is Garden City and is supposed to be the most ghetto part of Idaho, but it's not at all. Nick says there's nothing dangerous in Idaho. Elder V trained in the same area Nick did, Boise West. They had dinner at the Chipman's in West Boise, and they had been one of Nick's favorite families when he was there. Plus he thinks Sister Chipman might be the best cook in Idaho. She's from Samoa and cooks something called 'poni popos' that she says is simply frozen bread dough and coconut milk, but Nick thinks it's the best thing ever. Proof that his appetite has really changed on the mission!

They set a baptism date for Annalyn in January. Nick says she is one of the most solid investigators he has taught; she was definitely prepared by the Lord. Everything seems to make sense to her. She says that each time they come over, the things they teach her are exactly what she needs to hear at that time and they confirm her belief in the church. They watched the Joseph Smith movie with her and it struck her because she is facing persecution from her family for wanting to join the church. But she said that after seeing what Joseph Smith went through, she can face anything.

They had a very cool experience. They stopped by to see a potential investigator who wasn't home, so they started talking to a guy out in front of the apartment building. He wasn't interested, but pointed to a door and said the lady who lived there was very religious. They later stopped by to visit her and found out that she had been a convert to our church, but had later had her records removed. After visiting with her for awhile, she agreed to let them come in and teach her.

A huge group of missionaries went home just before Christmas, including three of Nick's closest friends, Elders Solberg, Eging, and Maples. Transfers were on Monday and they didn't leave until Thursday, so they all stayed with Nick for three days since he lives close to the mission office. It was sad to see them go, but they are all going to college in Utah, so Nick will get to see them all soon.

Christmas was awesome! They spent most of Christmas Eve with the Spjute family. Nick misses living with them and loved spending time again in his first area. They had dinner with them and their extended family. Then there was a talent show, spiritual stuff, and dessert. After that they went back to the Spjute's house and Nick almost beat CJ at ping pong. Elder Wall spent the day with them too, and Nick loves Elder Wall, so that was really cool.

Elders Wall, Hefler and Vakauta with Curtis, Cheri, Cat & Cindy Spjute

Nick with CJ Spjute...CJ's tough to beat!

Christmas Day was really cool too. They had a good breakfast with Sister Binkley and her kids, then played a board game where they live. Then they called home for a little bit. They were invited over to the the Markus' family's home. They were awesome. Nick got to take a nap, then they had dinner with the Craig's, an awesome family they're teaching. The Craig's gave them gift cards to Nick's favorite ice cream place, Subzero, and to Five Guys, a restaurant that thinks it's N 'n Out (but it's not). But the reason Christmas was awesome was because they totally just got to relax for once. Nick misses being able to do nothing.

Christmas Day at the Markus Family's Home

Nick Is Soooooo Lucky!

Nick's first bike area lasted exactly one week! They suddenly got a car. He was so happy! And the missionary in charge of the cars told Nick they were allowed 1,500 miles per month. Nick knew that was way too many and said he asked him about 20 times if that was correct. The guy acted like Nick was dumb for asking. Then later in the month he got a voicemail telling him it was actually 500 miles per month. Oops! They had already racked up a ton of miles. Too late for this month.

The second week of November was amazing. The coolest thing was meeting Etoka and Regina and their children Eliza and Miambo. They are refugees from the Congo. They don't speak English, only Swahili. They've been coming to church for a few months, and even paying tithing. They know nothing about the church's beliefs, but say they want to be baptized because they know the church is true because of the feeling they have whenever they go. It's a little difficult to schedule appointments with them because they can only do it when their translator is available.

They picked up nine investigators in just two days; the family from the Congo, a guy who's wife is a member, and another family of four. Nick thinks the second family's 15 year old son will go the the NFL. He already has BSU and some other schools looking at him. There are also other referrals to contact. They were visiting one investigator in a retirement home, and a girl their age who was visiting someone there, asked them to teach her.

Mike and Mikey, a father and son, committed to baptism in December. They had been rethinking baptism because they didn't like the commitment of going to church every Sunday. But Nick and Elder Huyett talked them through it and the baptism is back on. They told them that church isn't easy for anyone, but once you know it's right, you have to live it!

One week they had to have three days of leadership training meetings from 8:30 to 4:00. He didn't think he would like them because they're long and they have to do a ton of role playing, which he doesn't like to do. But he said the meetings were insightful, though really nothing new. He said any smart and good missionary should have been doing this stuff already. Some of the lessons focus on teaching people and not lessons, basically just being personable. Another focused on teaching people to receive personal revelation through prayer and scripture study.

Two of their referrals are really cool stories. When he was in Kuna, he got a referral for Annalyn, but she moved two days later, and he thought that was the end of it. But another missionary called Nick and told him to contact her in Boise. The other one is Toni's sister. He baptized Toni in Buhl and she is now a student at BYU. She recently wrote to him thanking him, and was wondering how the mission was going. Then she wrote again and thought it was a miracle that he was in Boise because her older sister is there. The sister hadn't been interested, but they recently had a deep discussion and now she's asking the same questions that Toni once asked. So she told Toni it would be okay if Nick stopped by to talk to her. He thinks it's really cool that things from previous areas are coming back around.

On a sadder note, a missionary that Nick is really close to had his sister pass away. They were together on exchanges when the other missionary got the call. He didn't want to go back to his area yet, so they spent a few days together on exchanges before he flew home for the funeral. Nick said he wasn't all there, but he was handling it like a champ.

He was excited to have Thanksgiving Day and the next day off. They got Friday off because he said they would just annoy people if they tried to work. Some of the plans were to go part way to a ski resort and go sledding, go in the sauna that two missionaries have in their house, get a lesson in sushi (and eat it) from Cassie, a girl they are teaching, and check out the black Friday sales. Plus they were invited for two Thanksgiving dinners!

I Don't Know Why Nick Says He's Losing Weight...This is the Last Photo That Someone Sent Me of Him

I Should Hang Out With Julie More Often

My friend Julie has a son who plays football for Boise State, although he is injured this season. The family went up over the weekend to go to the game and then to church on Sunday. They missed Robbie's singles' ward because it was stake conference, so they went to find another ward. They couldn't find that one, but continued looking and eventually ended up about 20 miles north of where they started. There were just enough seats for them near the back, and after they sat down, Julie realized they were sitting right in front of two missionaries. She turned around to ask them if they knew Elder Hefler from their mission, and realized one of them was Elder Hefler! How fun that she got to see him. She didn't think it was a coincidence that they ended up so far from where they started and sat right in front of Nick. She said that other than looking a little thin, he looked good and happy.

Back to Boise Already?

Nick started having some health problems. He lost 12 pounds (I'm not sure from where), wasn't sleeping much at night, and generally wasn't feeling well. He didn't want to complain to the mission president, but happened to mention it to a friend, who did feel the mission president should know. I think they suspected stress (maybe from all the birds in Weiser), so they sent him to Boise to stay with two other elders for a week. He said that week was the most fun he's had his whole mission, he loves his two companions, and wishes he could stay there for the rest of his mission. But he still didn't feel any better, so he would have to call the mission president and tell him he couldn't go back to Weiser because he probably needed to be in Boise where he could see a doctor. The three of them get along great and work hard. He's a district leader, and the other two are zone leaders, and they teach a lot. They've picked up a lot of new investigators.

Of course, he didn't stay in that companionship for the rest of his mission. The next transfer, he got a new companion, Elder Huyett from San Diego, and was transferred to Boise North. For the first time on his mission, he's in a bike area. He's using someone else's bike for now, because it may not be for long. He's not too happy about it, but says he can't complain. He's planning to get super healthy this transfer and the biking will be good exercise. And he's really happy to be in Boise near so many people he knows and loves. He thinks the area looks like it could be really good and that he'll enjoy being there. He's starting to feel better, but finally has a doctor appointment scheduled just in case.

Halloween weekend was fun because the mission president asked them not to go out after six p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. And since no one signed up to feed them, they cooked a feast. They made stuffed mushrooms and stuffed steak wrapped in bacon. A member had given them money for dinner, so they decided to eat nice. They hung out with some other elders, and smashed the pumpkins they had carved with baseball bats.

They taught some great discussions. And he received a letter from Toni, a girl he baptized in Buhl. She's now a freshman at BYU. She's really strong in the church and is even thinking about going on a mission. She had watched a movie about missionaries, and it made her want to thank Nick. He said it was really nice to get a letter like that, and motivational too. It was fun to teach her because she asked so many questions that he had to study specifically for her lessons.

They live with Sister Binkley and her two kids. They are great, and are really good to the missionaries. I like them too! She texted me the picture of Nick and Elder Huyett the first night they were there.

Say it Ain't So, Nick's Livin' in Weiser, Idaho (and it's Nothing LIke Livin' in Beverly Hills)

Nick arrived safely in Weiser, a tiny town nothwest of Boise on the Oregon border. His companion is Elder Kimball. He likes rap music and basketball. They can't listen to rap, but they can play basketball. They play about the same and are both very competitive, so Nick thinks they should always be on the same team. The house they live in is legit. It's a crazy grandparents' house with crazy carpeting, but they live by themselves. It's nice to have privacy, they can lay on the couch and read without worrying about anyone walking in. But the house is pretty dirty, so he will have to clean it.

There are lots of farms in Weiser, and Nick still hates farms. He said that although everyone makes fun of him for being afraid of birds, a rooster chased him around the freakin' field. So he thinks people should stop giving him grief about the bird thing. They had lots of turkeys too, and he thought those things were pretty scary. They're going back to buck hay on Saturday, but the chickens and turkeys will be kept away.

Nick said his first week in Weiser was pretty nuts. It's a lot like Buhl, but it's nicer, has more people, and it doesn't smell bad because there is no fish food factory. There are some pretty interesting people there, he already met some crazy small town people. The first guy he met was a ward missionary who stopped by the house to meet him. The companion offered him lunch, but he said he was alright because he'd just had a cup of coffee and a cigarette, then apologized for his weakness. Here's the craziest story: Thursday around 10:00 pm, there was a knock on the door. Nick's companion was in the shower, so Nick answered the door. It was Johnny, one of their investigators. He came right in and sat on the couch. He was quite drunk and was crying his eyes out. Apparently he and his wife had split up and he wasn't taking it well and just needed someone to talk to. When the companion heard what was going on, he didn't come out of the bathroom. Nick was happy to help, but it was quite an interesting way to meet him.

But they also met some of the coolest people ever! Cody is a member, his wife isn't, and they have a young baby. They apparently got upset at a previous missionary and cancelled Anna's baptism date, and didn't want the missionaries to come back for awhile. So they went back over to start re-building the relationship, and it was awesome. They got along great. After they talked for awhile, Anna said she was ready to take the lessons again. She knew she needed to quit drinking and get baptized so that she and Cody and the baby could be sealed as a family. Seeing Anna get baptized is a Weiser goal. By the next lesson, Anna had read a lot of the Book of Mormon. They are his favorite people to teach in Weiser.

They were teaching Julie, and her friend Mark came by. He's a Jehovah's Witness and thinks he's pretty tough and cool because he killed some people in the army. Mark decided to highjack the lesson and was throwing out all kinds of stuff. Elder Kimball is new and just froze. Nick had to try hard not to yell and bible bash. Mark thought the concept of the different levels of heaven was stupid so Nick read him about five scriptures from the bible about it. Mark said, "well, you're assuming, and you know what happens when you assume." Then Julie said, "no, Mark you made an *** out of yourself a long time ago when you attacked their religion." So Nick started laughing so hard. Long story short, he won, Mark lost.

There is a member family in Weiser that his friend Elder Beard told him was pretty cool. They invited the elders over for scrabble Sunday, and Nick figures he can dominate since he knows so many words being a rapper and all. The Brown family is pretty cool. Brother Brown knows football, so Nick loves to talk sports with him. Most people in Weiser talk about horses and farming, and Nick doesn't know anything about either. The Browns rank all of the missionaries and said Elder Beard will always be number one, so Nick's goal is to be number two.

One day all of their appointments kept canceling and Nick said he had to spend every day for the next week comforting his companion over it. He said you can't be depressed over one day because a mission is two years.

He started getting up at 6:00 a.m. instead of 6:30 everyday--torture. They play basketball at the church at seven two days a week, and the other days he did it just because he was in the habit of it. The group that plays basketball is pretty intense. They're all older and can't move very well, so they just hit each other. The team he was on won every game both days, so he was happy about that. He got a nasty elbow to the nose, but no blood (and never has).

They were invited to a recent convert's temple sealing, and it was the first one that Nick got to see. He definitely felt something very strong there, and is excited to do it someday. It was awesome just to see it.

He was on exchanges in Payette with another elder, and someone crashed into their car. Luckily they were okay, but the car was in pretty bad shape.

The third week in Weiser, Nick wrote that he'd had a pretty successful week as a missionary and as a human being. And that he is now a chef. When he was in Kuna, Elder Flores from Italy was teaching him to make real Italian food. So he's practicing a little in Weiser. There is a farmer who gives them free milk, eggs, and STEAK, his favorite!!! And he's getting pretty good at cooking it. He's even done some fancy stuff like marinate it.

The people of Weiser hate Californians so Nick is trying to win the natives over with his wonderful basketball skills. He thinks the early morning basketball crowd already likes him.

The successful missionary part was that they watched every session of general conference with an investigator. The best was watching with Cody and Anna, and he thinks Anna is getting close to baptism!

The End of The Kuna Era

They taught the Erickson Family this week. They are really progressing and had a great time at church. The parents smoke, and that is the only thing holding them back from being baptized. The six kids have never wanted to sit in, but did this time, so they taught the plan of salvation again. Even the 19 year old who had no interest previously wanted to sit in. By the end of the lesson, the parents were baring their testimonies to the kids, and they're not even members! He said it was awesome, and they are a very cool family.

The Woodalls who they have the most spiritual lessons ever with had to cancel this week, so that was disappointing because he LOVES teaching them. When they went back the next time, they topped it for the most spiritual lesson ever. It was amazing, and very inspirational to Nick. They struggle with the idea of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. They talked about those things more in depth and showed them the restoration DVD, and by the end the mom was crying. They had previously said they didn't want to join the church, but now the mom said she wanted to get baptized. The 19 year old had previously said she had zero interest in the church, but when they asked her how she felt now, she just started crying. They said they were done trying to deny that it was true. They now know it is 100 percent true and they want to be baptized. Nick said that it was very sweet and that when he has experiences like this, it motivates him to do better so that he can have more experiences like it.

They started teaching a married couple who are both 22. The husband is already a member, and the wife set a baptism date for September 25. She is very ready and has learned a lot from her husband. Nick has fun teaching them because they are so close to his age.

Brother Miller, a man they spend a lot of time with and do service for had back surgery. He had a stimulator put in his back. They visited him in the hospital, and he is now home and doing well. Brother Miller recently called Dave at work to tell him what a great job Nick was doing in Kuna, and that he had tried new things that had really turned the missionary work around there.

Last week, a family they teach asked them to help make a quilt for service. Nick said it was kind of entertaining because it was something different than the usual. I wish I had a picture of that! Next week they're helping a family they teach clean out their stables. They want him to ride a horse, which he's never done before. So he might try another new thing!

Nick was excited that he got a dental checkup, deluxe cleaning and a $250 whitening treatment ($439 worth) for $65. The only problem was they found two cavities, and those were Nick's first ever cavities.

He says when he gives his homecoming talk he wants to chastise the members about something. Missionaries really need to be cut some slack. He says there, because there are so many members, rumors spread like wildfire. Some people love to think they know all of the mission rules. So the mission president might get a phone call if the missionaries are seen out at 9:31 pm. But sometimes lessons can go a little long. He says that members can be the greatest asset to missionary work, or the greatest hinderance. Details will come out when he gets home. But he did say that although it's frustrating, it makes him stronger to see the good things that happen even with the negative.

Nick and Elder Crook were at the mission office hanging out and playing basketball, and the mission president called them in. Nick's first thought was that they were in trouble for something. But President Cannon just wanted to tell them that now and for awhile they had been his favorite companionship, and that they make his job easier because they do such a good job. But some things just have to happen, and six months in an area is the record, so Nick will be leaving Kuna. It still hasn't hit him yet. After six months there, and four and a half with Elder Crook, he said it feels like this is what he's been doing his whole mission. He was definitely in a routine with Elder Crook. The area has been going good, and he says it's exciting that they have been able to sustain the success they've had. That makes him very happy. He's hoping it continues after he leaves, and that he'll be close by in his next transfer so he can come back for the upcoming baptisms.

Nick's Still Got It!

They are working with lots of new people! One is Dakota. He wants to be baptized, but the Elders are teaching the whole family. Another is Jesse, a 19 year old who is going off to the military. He had been looking into the church about a year ago, and decided that before he leaves he needs the Holy Ghost in his life. Another is Ken, who's wife is a less active member. Ken is a crazy guy (in a good way) because he asks a lot of questions and is very blunt. Nick doesn't like it when investigators don't ask questions because he studies every day and can't possibly understand everything. So he doesn't understand how someone new to the gospel could not have questions.

The cool thing about Ken and Dakota is that they are from a ward that previously has had no investigators, so that ward is getting in gear!

President Cannon said something way cool to Nick: "you have been given a lot of referrals and blessings in your area. Those kinds of things that you are doing only come to the best missionaries." He said that Nick makes his job very easy and that is all that Nick has wanted to do for him.

Aaron O'Brien who had decided on a Monday to be baptized on Thursday, did just that. The chapel was packed with people and Nick said it was one of the strongest times he'd felt the spirit.

They had a lesson with a new family, the Woodalls. It was probably the best and strongest lesson Nick had ever been to. The mom has come a long way. She was telling them how she used to hate Mormons. But now she is great and has even said she's thought about being baptized just because of the great feeling and sense of belonging that she feels at church.

They picked up another new family to teach that is awesome! The dad is from Kansas City and loves sports like Nick does. The mom is cool too and the kids are the best! The boy is starting football so they want Nick to show him some stuff. They are a lot of fun.

On P-day there was a huge, legit basketball tournament at the mission office. It was amazing. Only the good players were invited and there was a draft. Nick's team won! It was the first time he's played real basketball in awhile. The toughest challenge for Nick was a guard from the New Jersey state championships two years ago. Nick just wanted to shut him down and he did. He's only been out two months so he has more stamina than Nick. Since it was the most intense he'd played in awhile, his knee was killing him, and he had to go home and ice it. But it was all worth it.

Nick and Elder Crook with the Hadley kids. Their parents had been less active, and after the elders worked with them, the three kids decided they wanted to be baptized.

Addicted to Snow Cones

Nick was excited that Elder Flores and Elder Belliston (Flores' greenie) moved in for three weeks. The parents were gone at the house they usually lived in, and the 23-31 year old sons living there were shooting them with paintball guns. Nick said they had to move out for awhile or there would have been a big fight. It's a lot more fun living with four than just two. So it was basically a party every night for awhile, and Nick has become close friends with Elder Flores (in the photo, at a graveyard in Siver City, a ghost town just outside of Kuna). Silver City is two hours away, but still in their area, so their area is really huge. Elder Flores is from Italy and played Junior Pro soccer there before his mission, and wants to play pro soccer in America after, so he's pretty good. On P-day they played soccer with the spanish elders and Nick was happy that he still had some skills left. He held his own and scored two of his teams seven goals. Elder Belliston was later transferred and Elder Eddington moved in. Elder Eddington goes home at the next transfer, so he has pretty much checked out and keeps the others up late telling them his life and mission stories.

Nick and Elder Crook ate dinner one Sunday with the Albertson family, and Nick realized he had never seen the dad at church. Turns out he's hardly ever been to church. He was baptized at 8, and quit going to church at 12. But at dinner they told the elders that he wants to start attending church and they want to be sealed in the temple. So they're going to give the discussions to Brother Albertson, and Nick is excited about seeing them sealed as a family because that is his top mission goal!

A big thing that happened was that they received a phone call from a man who's wife is dying from cancer, and she had decided she needed to be baptized. They are sad that she has cancer, but very happy for her and her husband that she has decided to be baptized because she has been investigating the church off and on for several years. Nick was excited to get a phone call from someone asking to be baptized because it hardly ever happens, not even once. But it's happened to him twice, so it's pretty amazing! They finished teaching her the discussions in less than two weeks and she was baptized on July 31. Nick said she was sooooo ready because she studies so much that she knows more than they do. However, Nick said it was an interesting baptism because she considered it so sacred that she didn't want anyone to attend. So it was just her and the person baptizing her, with her husband and the bishop as witnesses. Nick and Elder Crook waited outside the door and acted as bouncers to keep anyone from coming in.

News Flash: Nick is addicted to snow cones. They get them free in Kuna and since it's 95 degrees there right now, they get them every day! (One side benefit of the mission is that Nick, a somewhat picky eater, has tried lots of new foods he wouldn't try before, and he actually likes them). They had Kuna Days one weekend, kind of a city fair. There were amazing funnel cakes and a lady bought Nick a delicious lemonade. He says one reason being a missionary in the Boise mission is so great is that so many members hook them up with free stuff or discounts.

For a district meeting, Nick had Elder Crook dress up as Robin Hood. Unfortunately no picture was taken. Nick was comparing investigators to arrows, and baptisms to the bullseye. They shot arrows, and it was a great object lesson.

Updates about previous investigators: Doug and his girlfriend Cindy are still hanging in there. They are continuing to take the lessons and are starting to get more serious about investigating. Jessica is ready to get baptized, but is still waiting for her sister to get there. Her sister is planning to take the lessons when she gets there and they'll be baptized at the same time, hopefully around the end of August. The Jones family is progressing slowly but surely. They are coming to church more often. A lot of people are on vacation this time of the year so things are a little slow. And nearly everyone they have been teaching has been baptized. So now they start over looking for more investigators.

One sad thing happened, last week there was a sushi dinner (another food Nick now loves) for Elder Kraus' farewell party. Nick was sad to see him go. A week later we went to Elder Kraus' homecoming talk in our old ward. He gave an amazing talk and it was fun to hear stories about the Boise mission. We laughed a lot about one he told about when he and Nick were companions. The Spjutes went out of town and asked them to get the eggs out of the chicken coop every day. Elder Kraus thought he didn't like chickens much, but if you know Nick, you know he wouldn't be going near the chicken coop. So Ryan ended up fighting off the chickens with a spatula and a potholder to get the eggs. When the Spjutes got back, they said all he had to do was throw down some food and the chickens would run to the food and leave him alone.

Nick is Halfway Done!!!

Nick is officially halfway done wearing a white shirt everyday. We color in a square for each day. The blue squares are month and percent marks.

His halfway shirt burning celebration was a success. However he forgot his camera and Elder Crook took video of the event. We haven't got the video yet, but we did get a photo!

No Time in Kuna

Things are so busy that Nick didn't email for three weeks in a row. He said they even skip lunch sometimes. Nick says they are picking up investigators left and right. He also said those were the hardest working three weeks of his life.

Nick says he'll be staying with Elder Crook for one more transfer in Kuna because things have been going so well. One of the members actually called the mission office and requested that they both stay there! His good friends Elder Krause and Elder Hopkins are staying in Emmitt and Star, which are both nearby. So they'll all be able to hang out together, and they can help Nick celebrate his one year mark which is coming up on July 8. He has a big plan of how to burn a shirt (the 12 month tradition)...he's going to shoot a roman candle at it. A member in Kuna is getting him the roman candles. He promises to send video!

They did service for a nonmember who had previously taken the discussions. Nick actually said yardwork was fun! They're hoping they can continue teaching him soon.

They have had three baptisms so far in Kuna!!! Eric and his mom, Diana were baptized, as well as Matt (see posting below). He said it was amazing and so fun to have success in this area. There should be more baptisms coming up soon.

Nick is also going to be a district leader starting with this transfer. He says he's a little uncomfortable leading and would prefer to be a regular missionary and do the same stuff. Now he'll be giving training meetings, calling in numbers for the companionships in the district, meet with the companionships regularly to make sure they're doing everything they need to do. He says it's kind of minion (one of his favorite words) work, but it might be okay. He thought his first district training meeting went okay. He threw some crazy stuff into his training, like quoting a Tupac (rapper) song. For 4th of July, he was planning a patriotic district meeting. He was trying to convince his companion to dress up like Miley Cyrus and he would play "Party in the USA" to start the meeting. His companion agreed, so they planned to shop for a wig! (Some things never change). Hopefully pictures will be sent soon.

Elder Walker, a general authority came and spoke to the ward councils, the ward mission leaders, and the missionaries to tell the wards they need to step up the missionary work. He said it was awesome that he dropped the hammer on everyone.

As of the end of June, they had six baptisms in the last four weeks. The sad part is that it's coming to an end, and they're teaching fewer discussions per week...because everyone they were teaching got baptized!

He says less active people are hard to teach because you can tell them to go to church so many times before it gets old and turns you into basically being a home teacher.

One of their investigators injured her back, so they got her some numbing cream and gave her a blessing. For service, they're helping her husband put up their above ground pool. They're a cool family!

Nick says they work 65 hours a week, so he's been tired for a year now. They are teaching 15-20 discussions a week currently. They could teach more, but the area is going down again, so they have to go into rebuilding mode. They have a little time to tract, so CJ Spjute came and tracted with them because he is turning his mission papers in and Nick says CJ will most likely go to a mission where they will do a lot of tracting.

May in Kuna (prounounced like Cuba, not tuna)

They pulled weeds for the Ross family, a less active family they are working with. Nick thought it was awesome because he got some sun for the first time! They have a ton of land with a massive dirt bike and quad track, and said the elders could try it out. Nick finally agreed to take one lap around the course, and quickly decided that quads are the funnest thing in the world! So one lap became a few more.

In May, Nick met the Jones Family. Brother Jones had been baptized five years ago but fell away from the church because his Bishop in Utah wouldn't give him the priesthood (for an invalid reason). The problem went so high up the chain that eventually President Monson ordained him to the Aaronic Priesthood. Then he had more problems with getting the Melchezedik Priesthood. But now the family wants to be sealed in the temple in September, so Nick and his companion are working with them.

Brother Miller is another guy they are trying to help get to the temple. He said he was officially giving up coffee. But just to make sure, Nick took his coffee and coffee maker and said it's a done deal!

Two investigators, Eric and his mom, have started progressing. Technically they have always been progressing investigators because they come to church every week. But they have always said they wouldn't be baptized. Nick was very excited when they told him they were starting to think they should be baptized.

One Sunday they had fun helping out in primary. Primary was doing a mini missionary thing, so the elders spent about a half hour doing a little missionary training. They told the primary president it was fun, so she's having them come back again. Nick is enjoying NOT having to speak in sacrament meeting quite so often. He says a lot of people were crazy in Buhl, so when he was there, the wards asked the missionaries to speak in sacrament meeting all the time.

A guy named Matt showed up at church one Sunday and told the ward mission leader that he's looking for the right church. He agreed to take the missionary lessons, so Nick went to teach him. Matt said that he loved church and that he prayed about it and felt that it was the true church. They came back a second time that week and brought him a Book of Mormon and told him he had to quit smoking. When they checked on him the next time, he had read to Alma, and cut his smoking in half. They're checking on him often because he's having a hard time trying to quit smoking.

They started teaching Jessica who is 23. Jessica's grandma is a member and asked her to take the lessons. She had been taught by missionaries before, but now she wants to be baptized! She's just waiting until July when her sister can be there.

They're also working with Doug who has a child with his girlfriend, who is a less active member. Nick says Doug has a lot of anger towards God and they want to teach him so he can sort it out, and Doug is very eager to learn about the church. His girlfriend doesn't know much about the church either, so Doug doesn't have a background on it at all. Doug said he's heard tons of rumors about the church but doesn't know what to believe. Nick is so excited to teach someone who doesn't know anything about the church. He says that a lot of people in Idaho think they know it all because they have a family member or a neighbor who is a member of the church.

Nick is excited about his new companion, Elder Crook from Indianna. Elder Crook had requested to serve with Nick so he thinks they'll get along great.

Nick was very excited because he met Hans Olsen's brother. Hans used to play football at BYU and now has a radio in Utah. The brother is going to hook Nick up to possibly do an internship with Hans when Nick is back at school in Utah since Nick is interested in sports broadcasting.

New Mission President

On June 28, President and Sister Cannon arrived. Nick was very said to see the Yardleys go and didn't think anyone else could be as cool as President Yardley. After meeting the Cannons, Nick said "We got a new mission president yesterday. I met the new guy (President Cannon) today. He seems like he will be way cooler than I thought he would be, but I still just don't know. It feels like he is a stepdad, which is weird."

Things are Picking up in Kuna

Things are a little slow in Kuna. In Buhl, Nick lead the zone in numbers of lessons per week at 20-25 lessons a week and is down to only one the first week in Kuna. But there is a lot of potential. There are seven wards, some serious investigators and a few referrals.

I got a picture from Cheri Spjute when he was there one night for dinner and noticed a brace on his hand. He had sprained his thumb, and Elder Bitter broke his hand playing basketball. And he played football in a Boise park on P-day with lots of his good mission friends. So things were back to the way he liked it in Boise.

In Kuna, which is about 20 minutes from Boise, he and Elder Garlock are in a room off of a kitchen, so they don't have much privacy. Also, the beds were so uncomfortable, they borrowed air mattresses and sleep on those. I feel bad, but it's good for him to have all kinds of experiences! Nick had the stomach flu and lost seven pounds, but a few days later was back up to normal. he says they don't eat any more potatoes there than we do in California. He thinks the potatoe stereotype is way over rated. Maybe he just hasn't been in a town that farms potatoes yet.

The number of lessons goes up each week, from one to six, to eight, and then 10, and they are close to setting some baptismal dates. He's hoping for 15 lessons next week, and his goal is 20, which is also the mission goal. They have a golden investigator, Lucas, who should be setting a date soon to be baptized.

Nick found out that Kenechi Udeze, a former USC and Vikings football player, was baptized in Kuna a few months ago. Nick knows who he is because Nick is a sports freak. Udeze retired from football because he had leukemia, and lives part-time in Kuna. Nick is soooo excited to get to meet him.

They are doing something in the mission called "Miracle May." They held a mission-wide fast on Sunday, and are hoping to see miracles happen in all of their areas. Nick thinks this will be pretty cool because things are definitely getting better in his area. President Yardley told him that there is a very specific purpose for him in Kuna. Transfer calls for next time came in and Nick will be staying in Kuna, Elder Garlock will be moving on.

Hasta la Vista, Buhl!

Tina and Junior, who were recently baptized in Buhl, had stopped coming to church because someone offended them over something dumb. So they had been avoiding the missionaries. Finally they caught them outside of their house and talked to them, sorting through all of their issues. And they came to church on Sunday!

The Ehresman family was set to be baptized, but the mom was having second thoughts because her mom was very anti-mormon, but they worked everything out and she is going to do it! The dad is a member, the mom and 2 children will be baptized on April 10.

They met a guy named Travis who said he was really interested in learning about the church. But he was never home. They were eating at a restaurant in Buhl and Travis came in with his girlfriend and was seated right behind Nick. He started asking lots of questions and said he isn't home too often but he really does want them to stop by.

They have a crazy, less active member who constantly asks them to call the bishop for her and ask for money, or she wants them to help her clean her house. So Nick told her they would set up the appointment at church on Sunday, and she wasn't there. So he's hoping to leave Buhl before he has to talk to her again.

Someone brought their two dogs to church on Sunday...only in Buhl. But they got kicked out, so the dogs waited outside.

They had intervies with President Yardley, and Nick asked to go back to Junior companion and to serve with his friend, Elder Neville. President Yardley had said it might happen, but now wants Nick to be a district leader, and then a zone leader before Pres. goes home in July. Nick said it's early, but if that's what President Yardley wants, he'll do it! He's looking forward to going to Kuna, which is near Boise. And here's the funny thing...he'll be co-senior companions with Elder Scott Garlock from our stake. They weren't close friends but do know each other, and I'm friends with Scott's mom, Eileen.

A 25 Minute Talk With Zero Preparation

They were teaching a lady about the plan of salvation whose mother had recently passed away. So she started crying like crazy. Nick understood that. But then Elder Tukuafu started crying about missing his mom now that he's on his mission. So Nick tried to teach the lesson, but spent most of the time trying to get control of it while the other two balled about missing their moms. He didn't know what to do.

They had a baptism on Saturday, and lots of people came because they had a lot of family that were already members.

Misty is a golden investigator who wants to be baptized ASAP, but hasn't yet been able to quit smoking. The ward is going to hold a fast for her and pray for her to be able to quit smoking.

Nick calls Jerome, 75, their eternal investigator. Jerome has all kinds of wild stories. He claims to have worked on the JFK assination, and has several theories. He says there were definitely 3 or 4 shooters. After awhile, Nick stops paying attention because the stories take forever.

Nick went on splits and visited a family that has been less active for 20 years. The dad plays basketball and had some things in common with Nick. At first they were very negative about church, but at the end they said they think about coming back every day. So Nick is optimistic.

They are teaching the Delloses family, whose dad is a less-active member. He has some crazy theories about the church, and Nick just wants to say, "Umm, no you are completely wrong."

They were teaching the law of chastity to 9 and 11 year old brothers, and Nick looked at the mom as if to say, "how much do you want us to say to your kids about this stuff?" And she said to the boys, "this means no looking at naked women, and no having sex with women before you're married." Then she looked at Nick to see if he needed to add anything. He said that was good enough. Then the 9 year old asked, "does that mean we can't watch Transformers just to see Megan Fox?" But Nick told them he thought that would be okay.

They were assigned to give 15 minute talks in church last Sunday, but Elder Tukuafu spoke first and got scared, so he only spoke for five minutes. Leaving Nick with 25. He did it! He didn't think it was possible, but it was. "It was weird. The blessings of a mission that I can talk and make stuff up that sounds good for a whole 25 minutes!"

Service this week was gardening and building a fence (and it was fun!) for the Thomas family, one of the coolest families in Buhl. Next week they are fixing 4 wheelers for the Poulsons, the coolest family in Castleford.

And...more free food. The past two weeks everyone gave them tons of food. They got cake, donuts, ice cream, peach cobbler, apples, and he doesn't even know what else. He said it was awesome, not just like eating dinner at members' houses. He said it was like all of their investigators saying "here, take all of our food from our kitchen." They received so much food that for two weeks in a row they didn't need to do any grocery shopping.

But still no weight gain!!!

Oh, and about seeing us...he said it was cool and he loved it, but he didn't want to get too crazy or relaxed because he thought he would be distracted. He wanted to stay in missionary mode and act like nothing happened. It worked!

A 10 Minute Talk With Zero Minutes to Prepare

Usually I get the standard email that Nick cuts and pastes for everyone. This week was no exception. He briefly mentioned that he received his patriarchal blessing and that it was really cool, the patriarch said some cool stuff, and he can't wait to get the printed copy. That was it. It was a much bigger deal to me! He didn't even mention that his family got to come!!!

He gave a talk in church on Sunday about the 2nd article of faith. He was so excited that he had spent zero minutes preparing for a 10 minute talk. Before his mission he would have spent two hours preparing for a five minute talk. The funny thing is, my mom forwarded me an email from someone she knows in the Buhl ward who said that he gave an amazing talk in church! Not bad for not preparing at all.

There's still lots of action in Buhl. One of the bishops called an investigator a retard because he is "poor and weird," and cancelled his baptism. After lots of fighting and battling, the baptism is back on for next Saturday.

One investigator said he cleaned his house for the missionaries, but there was still dog poop everywhere! Nick thought Elder Tukuafu was about to pass out, but Nick says he was glad for once that he doesn't have much of a sense of smell. Nick had to stand for the entire lesson because there was no where to sit down. Then the investigator showed the elders his new nipple piercings. Nick got mad and told him that if he was serious about the church, then he shouldn't have pierced his nipples, and he shouldn't have shown the elders because it's "gay, and gross, and weird!"

They started teaching a man who had been excommunicated. He is ready to be baptized and is "super nice and super cool...legit!"

They are teaching a less active family, the Rules, who invited the elders for dinner and promised Nick a big steak. So he was looking forward to that.

Jay, another investigator, is scheduled to be baptized, but the date was pushed back again.

The Pearsons, a family they are teaching, came to church and promised to come next week. So now they can be baptized!

They cut down tree branches for the Kelseys for their service hours this week. And the Kelseys made them lunch. They'll take that anytime!

Nick was looking forward to zone conference the next day, because he gets to see his friends from all over.

Elder Tukuafu is a super cool and nice guy. Nick just wishes he could talk to him. He doesn't know English enough to have a full conversation. But Nick knows Elder Tukuafu has it hard. His mom doesn't do email, so he only emails his brother. He writes letters, but they can take months to get home. A trainer is called the dad, and the companion is his son. Nick said he gave his calling card to his son because he needed to call home when he was super homesick, and he'll need it again for mother's day because he doesn't have much money. It may have been hard for Elder Tukuafu to be there when Nick got to see his family. I'm sure it's much harder being so much farther from home.

Nick thinks a girl in Buhl has a crush on him and it's a little awkward, so that is reason enough to be transferred...hopefully soon. He said he is slowly dying in Buhl.

But he is looking forward to growing two more inches! He ordered a book that (looks legit) tells him how to grow 2-4 inches from a special diet and exercise. He says we can laugh now, but when he's six feet tall in six months, he'll be the one laughing. So check back for an update in six months!