Merry Christmas from Snowflake, Arizona

One P Day Elder Armatage sent us a very, very short email and that night a member that was feeding the missionaries sent this picture to us to make up for it! So sweet!

Above is at a home where Elder Armatage ate at and the dear people sent this picture.

And then our Christmas gift - the wonderful time being able to Skype with our missionary. It was so great. He enjoying serving in Snowflake. They were able to help put up Christmas lights along the road leading up to the Snowflake Temple. They were able to attend the Snowflake Temple together with 2 other Zones making it the largest group of missionaries ever to attend at once. They filled the room and the spirit was so strongly felt by all.

Elder Armatage is learning some great leadership skills and dealing with situations he would rather not have to do. It is so fun to see him so excited about the gospel and his ideas of reaching out to so many of the less actives there in Snowflake. They haven't been able to teach many lessons lately but hope to.  We enjoyed opening his special gift for us and he kept a few of his stocking gifts to open in front of us so we could share that together.

He had us make a challenge for when we get to talk at Mother's day. We will all read the Book of Mormon and going to highlight things about faith and pride as we do.

And then he asked if we could close with a prayer at the end of our time with him. Kevin gave the prayer and by the end of it we were in tears which were hard to stop.

Love him so much and so proud of all he is doing.  A wonderful Christmas!

Elder Armatage has been transferred to Snowflake! It is in the north part of his mission and the coldest. It can even snow there! Here is part of his email this week:

"Well I'm in Snowflake now and it's cold here. It's the same style of town of like Logan or Preston or Heber and even Montpelier. I feel like I'm in Idaho. There's only like 5000 persons up here and everyone knows everyone. But it will be fun I hope. It seems like there's a lot of work to do up here so I'm stoked about that. Thanksgiving I don't even know what going to happen but I know that we will get food! We are like in a house now with two other elder so it's kinda tight living, but all will be well. The house is nasty the elders have not cleaned it at all, and I will not stand for that so I'm going to clean a lot today and this week I'm starting to get sick.

     That's neat that Krista and David got a new family that moved in.  My new companion is a visa waiter, he is going to Brazil,  and he is from Calif,  18 years old.

      Yeah those two elders are not together anymore. The area got pinkwashed (whitewash is two new elder and pinkwashed is two new sisters) "

So Kevin predicted that Elder Kyle would be transferred to Snowflake in the winter. The highs this week are in the 50s and the lows at night are 30s. Sounds like our weather and it feels cold to him. It will be fun to hear how he grows to love the people there in this new town.

 

Snowflake Temple

Excerpts from Elder Armatages email since my last blog:

Oct 28, 2013
"We had a Halloween block party we did a rope-in both, it was really fun! No we don't have anyone to teach....its been a rough few weeks but we will press on.  I'm ready for a change though, I've been here for 5.5 months and I'm kinda burnt out of this area but it is in the Lord's time though."

 Pictures from the block party - our son the cowboy!

Enjoying it I would say!

Nov 4, 2013

"Things are good but I'm just soooo busy all the time I have no time for anything. Any spare moment I have I'm studying or reading something. I need to take a break for 2 days and just get my self together!!!!!!!!! But we had a good week taught some lessons and stuff and it was great. The work is picking up it's so great. Being a DL isn't bad but we have 2 elders that fight like 12 year olds so that's a struggle but we are working thru it though. But yeah we had a sweet Halloween loved it got candy. The mission is the greatest thing I've ever done and I love it!"

 

Nov 11, 2013

"Thanks for the e mail and letters! How are things going? Things are good here we have a tree-O haha - 3 missionaries together because one missionary got ET so we have 3 until the 25th. This will be interesting but it will be good! Thanks for the pictures, how are the kids? Yeah things are calming down so I should be able to write you a few letters. But life is good a lot. A lot of blessings are happening, I love it. That's sweet you went to the temple I love the temple!"

 

Now we are all caught up! It is so wonderful to see how happy our son is sharing the gospel! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Roosters

Elder Armatage is in the same Ward, but moved to a different members home.

"The new house is great, having tons of fun out here. Yeah, me and my companion are getting along well but you can tell he's 18. He doesnt really know how to cook, clean or shop. But he will learn real quick. Yeah I'm a DL now its going to be fun I hope? We had a great Sunday! I love Sunday. Ok, ok the roosters. Well some members had too many and wanted us to take care of them so we did. Ha ha it was fun. Sorry I don't have much time, I need to write you a letter"

Here is the picture he send:

Too Busy

This is what we got from Elder Armatage the past 2 weeks, but at least we know he is alive and doing great. We love him so much but sure wish he would let us know a little bit more about some of the things he had in his email as follows:

"I'm sorry I've been so busy this last few weeks! Moving homes and meeting with people from the ward, moving members of the ward and killing roosters and things like that....yeah I got that box and read Grandpa's stuff. It's sweet stuff in there, thanks. How is the ward doing and Dad and Krista and David and you and Grandma, how's the family? The mission is sweet just busy, sorry. I was called as District Leader so it is gonna be fun! ha ha  Life is good, just slammed right now. It' hard to not get stressed, but I will be fine! Love you and miss you all. 

Love Elder Armatage"

I would really like to know what the "killing roosters and things like that" is all about! We are so excited that he is a District Leader, we know he will be awesome.

So until we hear any more news.................

At Zone Conference with the new missionary he was training.

September 2013

Well, September is quickly passing, here are parts of Elder Armatage's emails:

September 4th: For Labor Day we when to 4 BBQ. It was sweet! Had some great food! Well I am a trainer now. He's from Rexburg Idaho, 18 years old straight out of high school. We are gonna have fun this transfer.

Here is Elder Armatage at his Train the Trainer class.

September 8th:
The mission is great. We are going to have a baptism this next weekend - 3 people maybe we hope. It's been really nice this week, it has rained 3 times, that's been nice. Yeah Matt Martin was a teacher to some of the missionaries that are in my zone! Small world. Being a missionary is fun. I love to see the change in people lives. This is not what I was thinking a mission was going to be like, but I love it! I love serving the Lord and I love Him.

IT IS AUGUST & THEY HAVE HAD SOME RAIN

From Email:

"How are you doing? Sounds like Grandma is doing well and she is healthy that is great to hear! I wish I could have gone out to see her before I left but that's OK I will have to go see her when I get home! How's the ward doing? My bike is dark blue it is a Haro bike. Can you pick up a bag of fruit Frooties also the watermelon kind. The mission is great, tons of fun, love what I'm doing and love this gospel. I love to help people change and be able to watch them change is so great! Thanks for all you do and have done for me.  Love you all and miss you also, love Elder Armatage"

From Letters:

"We are only over one ward now and it is only like 2 miles long and .7 wide. Sorry it's taken me so long to write back, but it has been super nuts around here. I do like my new Mission President. He is great! TeeJay is home? That is nuts - tell him to write me! (hear that TeeJay?)  Dad could not live down here, have to be able to sweat or you cannot cool down."
"I am good, life is good. This last few weeks have been hard. I have been really home-sick, but today and Sunday have been really good. I felt fine again. They say at about 6 months you feel very homesick and then it just goes away. The Lord will bless me with strength. It has been raining, that is great."
"Sharing the gospel is a great gift to give people, it is such a blessing. You know you see the gospel in your life and what a great blessing it is, why not share it? We are teaching a lot now and they are all progressing, it is really neat to see the changes in people's lives. I wish we could do more service here."

Great baptism, she has no family support but feels the spirit strong.

 Elder Armatage said "Dewey is the man" He waited a year to be baptized!