June 23, 2014

Dear Family,

This week was a great one, we saw many miracles, and they are all still unfolding! We have seen the blessing of diligent home teachers, diligent fellow-shippers/ward missionaries, and diligent Branch Presidents. 

This week will be Karlie's Baptism, she is so awesome! She loves the gospel and is super excited for her baptism! Her Boyfriend Brock, who is getting ready for his mission, invited her to come to church with him, and here we are!

​We were on exchanges so I wanted to take Elder Waechtler to lunch, he wanted a burger experience so, I gave him one :) haha

I am really excited about some great people in our teaching pool. We are going to have an awesome time next week, setting baptismal dates and meeting more people to come to FHE with us and church of course haha. 

It is awesome serving in a young single adult ward, I am so blessed to be here right now, things are going great, people are coming home for their break from school, and we are rolling in referrals right now!!!

Love you, Elder Strong​

June 16, 2014 - Pictures

 Elder Smith drinking a soda

 On exchanges with Elder Neal... back in Vista at the sushi spot

 Elder Smtih walking towards the sun light, after we had the door slammed on us a few times

 Elder Skinendore walking past Harveston Lake on exchanges

 Back in Vista again for Kout's Baptism (Ayak and Hala)

 We went on a hike in French Valley this morning

I also have these that got sent to me by surprise recently, these pictures were taken to make fun of the pictures that I take with my name tag in them, while I was away on exchanges. Elder English (mario suit) & Elder Aldridge

June 16,2014

This week was a pretty normal week. I guess. 

I finally got to go to our family ward and meet a lot of people I haven't met yet. one of them is Brother Mckay (see picture) he asked me if I had relatives that came across the plains. then he told me a story of one of his ancestors who went into the Mormon Battalion named William Strong. Then I told him that I was one of his descendants, we did some work on familysearch.org, after dinner, turns out, he is descended from Jacob Strong's 2nd marriage, and we are descended from his 1st marriage, So that was pretty cool, huh? Apparently there is a cannon that William Strong pulled home from California that is on display in St. George.

Things with the Investigators that we have are going great! One of them, named Karlie, set her baptismal date for the 26th of June, she is really awesome, she is 19 but goes to our family ward instead of our YSA Branch, because her fellow shippers are in the Butterfield Stage ward.

The YSA peeps are all really flaky, but the work still moves on. YSA members have a lot more friends to invite to church and activities, so we pick up investigators more often than not.

These Emails are getting harder and harder to fill with stories, I don't know why, it seems like we are busier than ever...  

glad to see that everyone is having fun and staying busy in the summer. I am scared to see how hot it will get in the next few months... I have heard bad stories.. aahhhh

Love you, bye

-- 

Elder James Riley Strong

HOLINESS TO THE LORD

Here is a picture of Jacob and Sarah (his first wife) 
and of William

June 16, 2014 - Mission President Pictures (I told Riley I need some)

 Mission Presidency (The Kendrick's in the middle) 

Christmas get together

 The Kendrick's

President Kendrick

June 9, 2014 - Pictures

 Last day in Vista, waiting for dinner to be ready at the Hartung's

 The Jeep full of all of my earthly possessions 

 The some of the zone on our way to our Zone Breakfast

Elder Smith and I

June 9, 2014

Dear Family,

SO I got transferred, to my new favorite area. Here are some options of why it might be my favorite area, you can guess and then I will tell you why it is really my favorite.

1	Elder English is in my Zone
2	We are the highest baptizing Zone
3	We have a full time car (2014 corrolla)
4	We live in a condo with a washer and dryer and a waffle iron
5	We serve in a YSA branch
6	The members in this zone are the BEST MEMBERS EVER
7	Our library has the most computers in it

​Well... which reason is it??? It is all of them! This is the BEST AREA IN THE MISSION, and I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD EVER BE ABLE TO SERVE HERE!!!!!!!

I am now in the Butterflied Stage ​Ward, and the YSA Branch, and it is in the Temecula Zone. Our home ward is pretty much a housing developement (TONS of Members) with a small part of wine country (vineyards) it is very pretty, and then with the YSA Branch, we cover the whole zone, which is HUGE. Both of our wards are at the same time on, so we have to go on splits every Sunday, so for my first Sunday, I went to the YSA branch alone. That means, Branch Council as well, and I even had to give a talk on my first Sunday. And one of our Recent Converts (who is from Payson) brought her friend to church, so my Branch Mission Leader and I taught him, and picked him up. So basically, this is awesome, I don't even know how to really explain how great it is. The only downside is that we are anticipating a 105+ summer, and it will hit us hard and long. but the breeze is good, and we are in appointments hopefully anyways.

Well, I gotta go, we are busy today! love you! 

--

Elder James Riley Strong

 

HOLINESS TO THE LORD

June 02, 2014 - Pictures

 "Taco Tuesday"

 mini golf

 Elder Cheney showed us up in mini golf

 ​Halloween wigs with Sandy

 ​Outside lesson

 

 ​Trowing a 500 pound boulder at us, Legend of Zelda style

June 02, 2014

Hello,

 

So we played mini golf as a district (probably won't do that again, kinda felt like a group date) and then we went through out the rest of our week, met a guy named Jimmy the 3rd and he told us he wanted to add to the numbers of our church, and he came with us on sunday, he seems like he has been around, he is in his 60's and is a pretty smooth guy, just kinda seems like a retired hit man with the eastcoast accent that he has.

 

Transfers are on Tuesday and I am outa here! I am the only person leaving the Vista Zone and I am not even being replaced since they are closing down the other side of our ward for the time being. So I will have a fairwell dinner tonight with all of my favorite families, and I will get fat off of the Niko Familie's otai (a poly drink) and the Agurre's mexican food. It has been quite a ride here in vista, so many people look over the edge of the font but none of them jumped in. I guess that is how it goes sometimes, the Elders will keep working with a lot of them and hoplefully I will get some phone calls to come back and watch some good friends enter in to a covenant with Heavenly Father.

 

I have no idea where I am going to get sent to, but there is a great chance that I will love it no matter where it is, because our mission is awesome no matter where you are currently serving. But wherever I go is where I will be for the summer, so lets hope I go on the coast so I don't die in 100+ weather for the next 4 months ;) haha

 

I will let you know where I land next week! love you!

-- 

Elder James Riley Strong

 

HOLINESS TO THE LORD