June 2014

Excerpts from his letter and last emails:
Payson is sweet, it looks a lot like Yellowstone, lots of old people and cowboys up here. We do so much service up here, last week we did 4 or 6 of them of 25 hours. So we have been super tired.
On May 31st we had a Family History Fair, it was really great and there were more non-members than members there. We are in a trio right now, because one missionary went home early to get an early start on school. I can't believe summer is already here, to me it feels like just yesterday I was in Mesa and that was a year ago. I love my mission but it is hard to see that my friends are done with theirs and going home. But I am working thru it.
I got your package, thanks, the Reeses were all melted tho! That was a funny Father's day card wasn't it, hahaha cuz dads old hahahaha!

We went to the temple last week up to Snowflake it was great and tomorrow a member is receiving her endowments and I get to go! She was the lady we baptized in Fountain Hills!  So I'm really stoked about that! That's cool about Rachel getting her call, good for her, Austin gets home next Monday!!

Last P day we toured a mortuary!

 I love you so much and miss you all like crazy but I will see you again! 

May 14, 2014 Transfer

Elder Armatage has been transferred to Payson, AZ and is very happy about it!

"the drive to Payson was like an hour and a half. Not bad it's nice here. its 70s right now kinda like Snowflake hahaha you can hear my testimony when I'm home......hahaha yeah he does, he's a great man I love him. (talking about his mission president) yeah do that family history!! its fun stuff!! you have a good letter coming your way! I like my new comp, he goes home in 12weeks I will learn a lot from him. I can tell the work is going up here. I haven't met a whole lot of people but I will in time. I'm in a branch and a ward so we will have stuff to do. We just had a baptism a week ago and trying to find more people to teach. O also I sent a box of books home it will be there in about a week feel free to read any of those books. There's some good ones in it I think dad would like. Well not much to report this week but you will get some letters and a box and a better email next week when I have stuff to talk about." 

Will have to upload the picture he sent on Facebook, since it will just not work here...

Email from May 5, 2014

In our Skype with Elder Armatage, he said I needed to update his blog, so that is what I am trying to do with a few of his emails..........


"WOW that's cool mom that you went to church in Wyoming was everyone in jeans? hahaha How did you like the Suburban? there nice I like them! I'm sorry I wasn't there to help out and stuff.....well Phoenix is hard I don't like it here at all but this is where i need to be right now but I don't like it hahaha o well I need to have a better attitude! I've never seen Mt Rushmore some day I will. I can skype whenever you want to how about 630 ish your time! everything is good here just trying to find out my self right now ....I will see you on mothers day"

Email from April 28, 2014

"WOW that's really cool that Elder Anderson spoke to the stakes in the area! I love him, his talks are some of my favorite. I love his attitude, there is nothing that can keep him down you know? Who is the next bishop?? This week we had a recall on all Chevy Cruz because 30% of them have a crack in the drive shaft. So we took it in and ours was cracked, so we have a rent-a-car the USS Chevy Impala. That thing is a boat! it a 2014 tho that's nice we will have it for about a month. The work is still slow here hard to work and want to work because it feels like nothing is going on but that is just really slowly. That's all for this week" When we asked if the members help with referrals and he said they are all stretched very thin. Makes it hard for the missionaries, but he says he is where he is supposed to be at this time. Love our son, so proud of him.

 

Fire - from April 14, 2014 that got deleted somehow...

"So this morning was was interesting at 3:30 a.m Elder Gonser woke me up and said'' want to go on a walk with me''? but me thinking that it was 6 or 6:30 i said yeah sure. then i asked him what time it was he said it was 3:30 but i had already said yes so i had to go. But the reason we went on our walk is because he smelt smoke and heard the fire alarm going off. well the guy down stairs was cooking (who cooks at 3 in the am!!) he was frying chicken fell asleep and it was burning, we saw it was smokin pretty good so we ran to his door knocked he didn't get up. ran to his window he and was yelling at him. by this time the oil was on fire so I jumped the railing opened his back door and was trying to put it out. I grabbed what i thought was baking powder but i think it was baking soda so that didn't work. i ran out went up stairs to wake up elders Russell and Erickson. ran back down stairs as i ran down i saw the fire exsushinger at the bottom of them. i busted out the glass grabbed it ran back in side the guys apt. he had the fry pan and took it to the sink and turned on the water and it went up!! as it went up i sprayed the fire and the fire on the stove top. then the sprinklers went on! was this was all in a matter of like 15 min maybe less. we were both standing out on his porch i asked him if and pets or people were still in there? his dog was still in there and we went back in and got his dog, the smoke by this time was from ceiling to mid body high! so sucked in some smoke but not bad everyone is good and safe."

Wow, we are so thankful that Elder Gonser woke up and so glad they are all safe!!      

Elder Armatage had a great week - here is from his email today which he actually wrote more than a sentence or two. Thank you son!

"This week was sweet, we taught a ton of less active families this week and most of them came to church on Sunday! It was sweet I love seeing less active members come back to church almost or just as much as when investigators come to church! We have a lesson tonight with an investigator. He is gay and we are going to get him to baptism soon I pray! He is really smart and knows it's true, its just hard to have a life of celibacy I think is his hold up, but he will realize that all will work out, I don't know how but it will....some how!!

Last night I was able to give a blessing to a member that has struggled with a addiction to porn, sometime in the last week or so fell back into bad habits. I was able to give him a blessing, there was a strong spirit there and the blessing was powerful. I don't remember what I said, but I do remember the feeling of that room and it was powerful. 

Also I was able to go to the temple  Wednesday after that we went to see Brother Anderson who on Thursday had his leg amputated so he is now one legged brother Anderson. hahaha but he's in good spirits and is doing well. We are teaching two excommunicated  members that we hope will choose  to be re-baptized in the up coming weeks! but one of them doesn't really want to come back yet but I hope some day. well I'm tired of writing so....love you and miss you"

He also got to watch the Gilbert Temple Celebration and see the Gilbert Temple dedication. It is a beautiful temple.

Great week, he sounded so excited!

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY TO ELDER ARMATAGE!!



On February 22 Elder Armatage was excited about the baptism. Sister Jessica had been investigating for a couple months and her husband was able to baptize her.


I will post some pictures when the blogging site lets me upload them. Right now it does not seem to work no matter what I have tried, but we hope Elder Armatage has had a great birthday today and we imagine he was fed well because the members are so good to them.


In fact we just received a picture from the family who fed him for dinner and they said he has had a good day. They enjoy him so much in their Ward and will be very sad when he has to leave.


We love our son!