Way behind on letters

Hey! Mom

Well first off I just want to say sorry that I haven't sent a hand written letter out for awhile. It gets harder and harder to keep caught up on letters the longer I am out. I have a whole stack of letters just chillin on my desk that I still have to write back to people. I hope to catch up on them this Thanksgiving Holiday and hope everyone is patient with me. We don't want to do much for Thanksgiving but take a well needed rest and catch up on somethings.
So, there is this lady that we started teaching this past Sunday. She is way awesome. She is about 25. She has made a really, really hard life for herself. She is a single mom and we taught her the Plan of Salvation. She was crying so much. It was awesome that she could really feel the spirit. We set a date with her for the 4th of December. I hope that it goes just wonderful. There is another really cool family that we are teaching. They have 7 kids. There is also this Mom and she isn't married but she has a girlfriend, which is nasty. But I hope we can help her to see that it is not right. The Mendez family has a date for the 18th of December. Well at least the Dad and the kid do. That is a rundown on our most progressing investigators. We are happy with all of them.
So the girls lost out in volleyball huh! That's not good. Are the boys still in the running for State again this year? Time has just flown by here in the mission. Especially when you are so busy that when you stand still you fall asleep so we have to keep moving. That is why we have moved to more bike riding because we need to keep active. It is so crazy! It seems like I just got into Midland yesterday and I have almost been here for 3 months. I did talk to Daniel the other day and he is doing great. He really liked meeting Keldon and Mel. He was kind of scared of Kel first and then he realized he was a way nice guy. Hope they keep a good eye on him.
I was happy to hear that Briar's baptism went good. He wrote me an awesome letter. He bore his testimony to me and I loved it so much. I can already feel of the change in his heart. It is so sweet. I know! Morgan has been waiting for a letter from me too! I just got one off to him yesterday. So it's all good. I sure hope he isn't mad at me for that and everyone else that has been so good to write to me and I haven't gotten back to them. I really appreciate their letters. I met the 2 missionaries that were in the MTC with Bryant. They really liked him and said he was a good guy. They were happy to be out of the MTC and in the mission field.
How was Thanksgiving for everyone? It was alright for me. Still had lots of thoughts of home and a bit homesick. We played some football with some guys that we didn't even know and went to eat at a members home. I didn't have much of an appitite, I was missing your cooking Mom. I haven't been feeling to well lately so I got to work through that. It does help to just work through things, they go away. Well better go. Got lots of letters to catch up on.
Love y'all so much.
Love Elder Eppich

Mission is doing great!

Hey! Mom: We have been a little off lately. That is all my fault I am really sorry about that. We are not really able to judge exactly when we are going to be on the computer or not. We do have to drive another set of missionaries around and they are kind of slow, so never know when I am going to be here to e-mail. I will try better though. Well, my bike is doing pretty good. I have had some troubles with it though. Ever since the crash my wheels have been kind of off so I went and had them fix it the best that they could. My shocks were not really working at all so they had to fix them also. I had to get a back light because we are riding bikes pretty much everyday and we ride them at night sometimes so I had to get a back light because I almost got hit a couple of times because the people couldn't see me. I figured that would be a good investiment, wouldn't you say? lol Mom, we do have a place for a small tree. My comp and I were going to go get a few lights to put up in our room to bring the holiday in, lol. I am sure this will be a sight to see since I wasn't very good at helping with the Christmas decorations, lol. Thanks that would be awesome.
The baptism that was scheduled for Nov. 20th is not going through right now. We will move on and hopefully we planted a seed of knowledge of the gospel. So many people have the wrong ideas about the church, it is amazing some of the things you hear about us. I appreciate it when people come to those that live their religion. Oh well. I did hear from Daniel, he is pretty excited to be able to come for Thanksgiving. Hope that works out for him. He is pretty shy at first until you get to know him. You will have lots of fun with him. I am so gratful to know him. Sounds like things went well for Briar's baptism. I am so happy for him. I know there will be alot of opposition for him but it will make him stronger. I don't think I have ever seen Briar cry so he must of been feeling the spirit very strong. Thanks to all of you for being such a good example to him. I am sure he can already feel the change in his life. Mom I am sure you did an amazing job speaking, you always do. I am sending Elder Reay's phone number so you can contact him. I think he is doing great and hoping to get back out on the mission soon. Love that guy. Pres. gave me permission to keep in contact with him, to check up on him and make sure he is doing good. As far as Marcus I just want to know that he is ok. I am worried about him and would like to hear from him so I will send some peoples names that may know how to get ahold of him. Thanks for doing that. We are doing great in the Midland 2nd ward. We had a family stop us the other day and ask us if we would come over to teach them and have dinner. They are so awesome. We are very excited to meet with them. I love the fact that people just want to know about what we stand for. Maybe it isn't right for them at the time in their lives but they want to know and pray about it. I am so thankful that they come to us to find out and not another church that doesen't know. Christmas is almost here. Wow! It will be fun here in the mission. I am excited to call and talk to everyone. As far as candy, I love reeses, sour patches, and Sister Shultzes candy, I love all of her stuff, I look forward to that every year. Just some ties would be great too.
Well I had better sign off, our time is almost up and we are headed out to get stuff done and play some football today. We look forward to that activity. I am pretty tired right now, we had training for 2 days here. 8 hours a day and it was for Zone Leaders and District leaders so I was so exhausted but it was SO LEGIT I am ready to have another training. These guys that train are so good. It helps us out alot out in the field. Mom thanks for sending the coat, I am going to need this soon. Oh! I saw that cake Kacie and Laurin made. That was so awesome! Sign those cake girls up for my birthday. How long did that take them? I better run our time is up. Love ya Mom you take care. Tell Dad I love him so much and to take care also.
Love Elder Eppich

At the Emergancy Room

Dear Mom;

Well, It is about 9:05 p.m and I am at the emergancy room. One of the missionaries here in Midland broke something on his leg, we think. He was playing a game at a members home, they asked me and Elder Shaffer to take them to the hospital. So that is what I am doing on this eventfull night, lol. I hope we don't have to stay for ever. There are a lot of people here and we have only been here for about 10 min. But hopefully everything goes well.
I am sorry that I have taken so long to write back. I have been really busy this transfer working my butt off. This transfer has been pretty good. Right now we have set 4 dates. We set them all this past week. The first two were two black guys. Their names are Justin and Marsales. They are about 20 years old. The lesson with them was legit. They were almost crying during the lesson. It is the best thing they have ever heard. That is what they said. They said it was awesome. Their dates are set for the 20 of November. I hope that all works out. Steve is another investigator. He is a Catholic. We have been working with him for about 6 weeks. He is finally coming around. He is set to be baptized on the 20 of November also. I am pretty sure that will go through. He says he doesn't like people that don't keep commitments. I am really excited for him. We have Isiah. This kid is golden. He is a member referal. We taught him for the first time on Saturday. He said he was having the worst day ever. Then we came and taught and at the end of the lesson he said we made his day so much better. He felt by us coming he knows God loves him. He doesn't have Sundays off work but he wants to go to church so bad that he is going to switch his off day to Sunday. I hope ll of those baptisms go through. President Robinson said " This is the best Midland 2nd has been doing in a long time. I hope it continues. Oh! Also there is this other lady named Wakeshia. She is so awesome. We will probably set a date with her next week so I can't wait for that also. So, as you can tell things have been going pretty good here in West Texas. Midland especially. It is starting to get a little colder. We just started suit season. We have to wear our suits unless it is over 70 degrees. Which stinks! My suit is going to get trashed. Oh well! lol. Well, I found out that I am getting a new companion this transfer. Elder Shaffer is going to lubbock. Elder Shaffer and I were really clicking, I am going to miss that guy. This will be my 6th companion in 6 transfers. I don't really like that very much but OH! Well! I am sure there is a reason for everything. I am getting a kid from Canada. He was in a different mission for 2 months. He got sick and went home for 6 months and then he has been sent to our mission. I sure hope he knows Spanish. I wonder how long I will have him. Hope you all are doing well at home. How was Halloween? What did all the kids dress up as? Did you get many trick-or-treaters? How is work going for Dad with work and ACN? How about Kacie, how is her job going? How is your calling Mom. Can't believe Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is almost here. Before you know it , we will be having Christmas. Man time flies! How is Briar doing with everything? Is he staying strong? Oh! Elder Shaffer says hi and thank you for the McDonald's card for Halloween. Well ya'll are really lucky that fall is there.The trees here are still green. I might ask for a box of snow for Christmas because it doesn't really snow here. I am gonna miss the snow. Well I noticed you said that you were going to get back into hunting. I hope ya'll do because I really want to go deer hunting when I get home. For Thanksgiving a member in Midland invited all the missionaries to come over for dinner. Then we might be playing in a Turkey bowl that they will probably have with all the members here in town. Pretty excited. On p-days we play football with all the missionaries here in town. Well I had better end this letter. It is 1:30 a.m in the morning and they are about done. Time me go to bed. lol. Oh! His leg isn't broken. Hey! Mom can you call Kel and tell him that Daniel has moved to Logan. It would really mean alot to me if he could get ahold of him and see if he is ok. He doesn't have any family or friends there. It is important to me that he stays strong. Well, got to go. Love ya'll so much.
Love Elder Eppich

Nate seems to find these little creatures. I think the

huge spiders has been replaced with this frog he calls "Z"

Alverez Family- Alpine Texas

Elder Eppich & Ray Ellis- Alpine, Texas

Another new companion !!!

Hey! Mom & Dad;

This week has been pretty good actually. A lot has been happening, I am kind of sad cuz Elder Shaffer has been transfered, he is now in Lubbock. I have been getting new comps almost every transfer, it kind of get's annoying because we just get going and then a new one comes in, but there is probably a good reason why Pres. is sharing the wealth with me. I really shouldn't be complaining to much. lol. My new comp's name is Elder Mulcock. He is from West Jordan. He went to Canada Mission. He got pretty sick, he was only there 6 weeks and came home for 6 months and is here in the Texas, Lubbock mission for 4 days now. So I guess you could say that I am kind of training him and helping him get going with a fresh start. He is a real funny guy and we have so much work here to do in Midland, we will do well together. Elder Reay had his surgery about 2 days ago. He called to talk to me and how the mission is going. He is home to heal now for 3 - 6 months. I sure hope it is only 3 months. He wants to see if Pres will let us serve together when he gets back out to give him a good start again. I am sure Pres. will do what is right for both of us. That would be legit to serve with him. He is such a spiritual guy. Mom, could you try again to get ahold of an address for Marcus Kidder. I really need to write that guy. It is kind of weird but I have only written about 2 letters in the past 2 weeks. We have been working so hard that all we do is Work, eat ( a little) and sleep, we are so tired when we get in we just drop. Our p-days are so busy , the weeks become days. Progress is going great here in Midland. We haven't been able to go see the lady that stopped us on the street. She set up an appointment with us at her Mom's place yesterday, so we stopped by and she came out of her Mom's home and said we will have to do it another time because her mother dosen't want us in her home. So we are going to try and catch her at her house one of these days. I hope sooner than later, lol. Well all the other investigators are doing pretty good, we are actually going to be setting a date tonight with a family for the 20th of November. I hope that goes through pretty good. Steve is still solid with his date, so I am pretty excited about that. We have a lesson with him tomorrow so we will have to wait and see how that all goes. I am pretty sure he will keep his date though. There is another kid that we taught on Saturday that we set a date with. Oh man, was that an awesome lesson. He said that we showed him that God still loves him so that was way tight. He even said that he would switch his day off to Saturday just so he can go to church with us. I will let you know more details on that later. So, things are going pretty good here. I finally got a companion that likes to golf. I am pretty stoked about that. I can't wait to go golfing now. That's going to be a blast so we will have to see if I still have any A game, lol. Dad, thanks for the encouragement. It is so true that we just need to slow down and smell the roses. That reminds me of President Uchtdorf's talk when he said "that we just need to all slow down so we can see what we have around us and take the time to listen to the Holy Ghost and what he is trying to tell us. If we are going 100 mph we will not be able to hear the Holy Ghost prompt us. I sure agree with you on that one Dad. Well I had better get going. I love ya lots. Look forward to talking to everyone at Christmas. It will be a blast! Love ya lots! Take Care.
Love Elder Eppich

Midland Texas still warm

Hey! Dad & Mom;

Well I can't believe that you guys are getting ready for the winter up there. We are still in the 80's here. I don't think that is fair, lol. I am going to miss the snow and everything this year. They did tell me that they might get a few inches here every so often but it melts with in the first few hours of the snow hitting the ground. So no snowball fights here. One of the things that I really hate here is the wind. Especially when we are riding bikes. The other day it was about 50 mph wind and we were pretty much going backwards. It was not cool at all. Frustrating! My eyes were full of dust and everything, lol. Things are going way good here in Midland. Second ward is about to blow up. We should have about 6 baptisms in November. I hope and pray that it all goes through like I want it to. Doesnt' always happen that way but we can sure hope for it. Monday was a pretty tight day. This lady pretty much asked us to give her the discussions. Oh! That was a shocker for us. I was like, "Yah! YOU CAN TAKE THE LESSONS, LOL. Man was I happy. Then on Tuesday we went knocking and this black kid let us in and then his friend showed up and we started teaching them the restoration and at the end they were like, WOW, that was an amazing lesson and his friend was like , WoW I know that was meant for me, I wouldn't of shown up when I did. We extended a date with them for the 20 of November so I hope that it goes through. I can't believe they are finally starting on the baseball field. Really, all of us ball players like the old field because we don't have so much wind down there. Pretty awesome that they are doing it anyway. Should be all done when I get home. Yes, Dad we have been playing a bit of football on p-days. It is pretty fun except for 3 days afterwards, I hurt so bad, I feel old. Well I had better go. We are so busy right now it seems like I just fall right in bed with my clothes on because I am so tired. We are real happy with how things are going in the mission though. I am almost out 8 months. Time has just been flying by. I think it will be a bit harder during the holiday season but it will be all good. Getting to call home will be great. Better get going, we have lessons scheduled tonight and some football to play. Ya'll all take care. Remember, I love ya all.
Love Elder Eppich

Daniel- Alpine , Texas/ Great Guy!

The Ellis Family- Alpine, Texas 2010

Midland is Great

Dear Mom;

If you were out here Mom you would here me bear my testimony like 10 times a day. It is a challenge to not be routine but if you are in tune with the spirit then the spirit will bear it's testimony through you. Well this letter is going to be kind of short, I think I have said that before. I will hand write one to you because when our time is up on the computer it automatically shuts off so I have to get down to business. Tell Laurin happy birthday for me, man she is getting old. I can't believe that I am going to be 20 here pretty soon. All I wanted when I was young is to be older but now that I am getting older all I want is to be younger, lol.
We are doing well here in Midland. I am pretty tired most of the time, we work pretty hard through the week and crash at nights. Sure have enjoyed my companion. We work well together. The other day I busted up laughing, we were on our bikes and I was hurrying across the street and I turned around and look to see if he made it across, well he didn't make it to well. He caught his back tire and he went flying over the handle bars and did a superman on the pavement. It was so funny I couldn't quit laughing. He was ok just a little bruised and muddy on his white shirt. Then we both laughed all the way back home. Our investigators are doing great. We enjoy teaching the people her in West Texas. We are playing some football on our p-days and I am enjoying the exercise. We don't get much exercise, only bikes once in awhile , the area is so big that we mostly have to take our car. Did I mention that the Ellises came into Midland to go to a Dr. appointment and they took us to lunch. It was great to see them. I am sure I will see them again. Daniel keeps in touch, he is going to move to Logan sometime and he wants to come visit you guys in Washington. He is a super guy. Remember he was the youth pastor. He is loving serving in the gospel. We are working in the mission to have exact obedience. If you think about it , exact obedience takes some thinking about. We do know that if we have exact obedience that doors will be opened for us and we will realize great blessings. I think you tried to teach me that at home. I get it now! lol.Well I really got to run. We are going home to write some letters, play some football and have some fun teaching tonight. We go about 10 miles away to the Library to write our letters on the computer. Mom, the apples were awesome. 2000000 times better than any apple we can get here. Thanks so much! Yes! I am sharing. Love ya all and look forward to the letters. Did you get the letter that I sent to the ward? I hope so, let me know if I need to send more. I am excited to read everyones letter.
Love Elder Eppich

Hi from Midland Texas

Dear Mom;

How are things going for you? Great I hope. Things are really busy out here, infact we are planning on setting a date with a family tonight and I am way excited for this family. They are way awesome. In fact Mom, this family surprised us and showed up at conference this last week, we didn't think they were coming, it was so awesome I almost jumped out of my skin. Well, things are going great here, it is starting to get a little cold, it has been in the 70's lately, still some what warm but there have been a few days in the last week where it was about 50 and I thought I was going to freeze to death, lol. I guess it get's pretty cold here in the winter, I am way excited cuz you can always put more clothes on when it is cold but when it is hot you can't take clothes off, lol. I am sure after a month or so of coldness I will want to be hot again, lol. It is crazy how things like that work lol. Wow! Kortneigh is getting married, huh? That's pretty crazy I didn't think it would be that fast. Tell her congrats! How did the big wedding go with the Koelzer family? Did they like what you did or what? Well, time is just flying by, I can't believe I am getting ready to hit my 7th month mark, it is so carzy. It seems like time goes by slow but it is actually going fast, lol. I am glad to hear that all the kids are doing well. Has Kel said if he is going to write to me yet? Well, I hope everything is going great for you Mom. I love you lots Mom, sorry this one isn't that long but my fingers hurt for some reason, lol. I don't know why. Love ya lots, take care Mom, I am going to print off some pictures for you today. Promise!

Hey Dad; How is it going. I am so mad right now, I just had a whole page to you and some how it just got deleted, oh man, I am so upset right now, I am not the fastest typer in the world either, lol. Things are going pretty good here. The family that we set a date with is coming along pretty good. We are planning on setting another date tonight with a family. There are 3 people in this family and I am way stoked for tonight. Speaking of the word stoked. I was surprised to see you using that word ,lol. I have never heard you say that before, lol. That's awesome Dad, lol. Conference was awesome. I loved it. I loved it so much that I wrote 6 pages of notes front and back, lol. I know! Hard to believe right! I was going crazy , I can't wait for the next conference to come around. I loved all the talks. Presidet Monson seemed like his countenance was alittle bit different this time. He throw's down alot more then he usually does , it was pretty crazy. The world is pretty small isn't it.I never would have thought that I would run into anyone that someone in the family knew, that's so carzy. I can't wait until this guy takes us out to lunch, I am pretty excited about that, lol. When is he planning on taking us out? Well things ya'll can do to become more familure with the Preach my Gospel is to first read the whole thing and second is read what the missionaries are supposed to do to get the members involved, then do those things. You know what I mean? Do the things that it says to get the members involved in the missionary work. You will love that book! Can't live without it. Well, Halloween is coming. So Kacie is making a spook alley. That is way awesome, I remember when we used to do that at the farm. I miss that. Well Dad we have a full schedual today so I got to get going. I love ya lot's Dad, keep up the awesome lingo. If you need new words just let me know. Love ya Dad.

Transfer to Midland, Texas

Hey Mom & Dad; Well I have made it to my new area. I was transfered to Midland Texas. It is a huge place compared to Alpine. It was so difficult to leave Alpine. That is an area that all the Elders want to go because all the members and people there are legit. It was emotional for me to leave but time to move on. I have to think that Midland is going to be the best ever becsause there are good people here also. They just are so big that they get to busy for missionary work and get lazy. Mom I love Preach My Gospel. I am hoping that the people here in Midland will get the vision of that book and learn from it. I bet Sister Hadley did a great job on her class with you. Well funny thing, Elder Reay, my buddy from the MTC replaced me in Alpine. He is just going to love it there. My new companion is Elder Shaffer, he is from,( sit down you won't believe this, lol.) Utah. He knows alot about cows, in fact it is funny how much he knows about cows. I didn't know that much about cows, lol. He has been out about 3 months, good guy and we should do great here. I don't know much about the investigators so I will let you know next week after I get introduced. I am kind of stressed about this transfer. I am Sr. comp and there is lots of responsibilities to this. I am sure if I will humble myself and allow my Father in Heaven to help me we will do just fine. Sounds like your trip to Logan was fun. Did Kel remember me? That guy, I need to hear from him. I am glad to hear that they are doing good. I bet the Temple was awesome. Bryant is doing great. That is good. He needs to hurry and get out of that MTC, it is easy to gain weight in there. I am sure he will be a great missionary. When does he leave for Brazil? Well, I really need to get, sorry the letter is short we have alot to get done today. Please send me my coat Mom, and muddy buddies would be so awesome. Love those things.
Ya'll take care and I love ya lots. Love Elder Eppich

Getting Cold In Alpine

Hey! Dad & Mom;

Wow! Dad had to be at the airport at 5:00 a.m. That's crazy. I am sure he is excited about this little trip and being able to see Kyle and Natalie. No , the hurricane didn't do much to us over here, except it got down to about 50 degrees. Oh! it was so nice, but it was kind of cold so I wish I would of had my coat, but we survived. How long will you have Tia's kids mom? Mom I got the package with the cookies in it. I ate one of the bags in like one day. lol. I was so excited when I opened the box and there were those cookies. I am really excited for those muddy buddies that Kacie is going to make for me. Whenever I think of those my mouth waters. Thanks for sending the recipe for the muddy buddies. I am sure I will find someway to mess them up, lol. Well, I was kind of bummed about our investigator but we did all that we could do. We bore our testimony and I know that the spirit was there. You know Dad it is just like a horse, you can lead it to water but you can't make him drink. That is the same with out investigators, we can show them the Gospel but it is up to them weather they follow in Christ footsteps. All we can do is pray for him and hopefully he will come back. That scripture that you mentioned, Alma. it is a very good one. I would have him read it but we won't be meeting with him for awhile we are going to leave him alone for a little while and hopefully he will see that he needs this in his life. To look on the bright side of things we knocked into a family last night that is way tight. I am very excited for them. I can't wait to teach them next week. They are one of those families that you meet and just say " they need to hear the Gospel". They would help out the branch so much. They do have lots of LDS friends so that is very helpful. On the part member family. He wasn't able to make it to church Sunday because he picked up something that got him way sick. He even missed 3 days of work. We are going over there tonight, we are teaching the lesson on the importance of the Book of Mormon, it is going to be awesome, I can't wait. So our week has been pretty good. We are a little bit behind, I haven't been feeling the best this week but I am doing alright. We get to go to the Temple on Saturday with the youth. I am way excited about that. Hey! If you want I would love some farm apples. The apples down here are so bad. They are so small and not good at all. I don't like them one bit. lol. Well I had better get going. Love ya lots, Take care, can't wait to hear back from you. Love Elder Eppich

Hey Family;
Dad from reading the letters it looks like you had better get some sleep or your going to fall asleep doing your bids or something that wouldn't be good at all. You might mess up on something, lol. We ended up getting a phone call from the kid that was going to get baptized telling us that he can't get baptized because he still kind of believes in eveloution. We sat down with him and we talked to him for about an hour to see if that was his only concern, well it turns out that his main reason for not wanting to get baptized is cuz of his passed. He did drugs, he dosen't want to be forgiven for his sins because he doesn't want to forget them. We told him that even though he repents he can still remember not to do them. He said that he hasn't done anything for God for it to be equaled out. I told him that in Gods eyes being baptized will equal that out, it will be the leveler. We challenged him to keep reading and praying and we will call him Saturday. Who knows, I still have hope for him, maybe he will get baptized in 2 weeks, who knows, we will keep him in our prayers. I was pretty bummed out about that. This has happened twice to us. We will just carry on. We are looking for strong people that want to make a change in their lives. I don't know what we are doing wrong but we will figure it out. I did hear about that Bishop in California. So hard for his family. He left behind 6 boys and his wife. God must have something more inportant for him to do on the otherside, you know it is hard to lose people but when you realize they are in a better place than you are , it is a little bit easier to overcome the saddness, I think, anyways, I mean I haven't lost anyone that is really close to me so I guess I wouldn't know. The thing about Lehis dream that you mentioned Dad kind of made me laugh because we have a joke in the mission that when you fall asleep in personal study we say that you are studying Lehis dream, lol. Kinda funny I guess, lol. Dang, now that I think about it, missionaries have corny jokes. Very true, I think most of us are like Lamen and Lemual and don't see the big picture but when we finally do it can almost be to late sometimes just like it was for them. What I really have realized here in the mission is that I didn't do all I could back home that I was blinded by things that I did, or places that we shouldn't be, they make it so you can't feel the spirit and I think that is how it is for alot of people. Anyways! I gotta go, love ya all, take care and I will talk to you next week. Love Elder Eppich

Sweet Week!

Dear Dad;
My week has been so sweet, it has flown by, it is so crazy how fast time goes when you are so busy. I can't believe it, lol. This week has started out pretty sweet because we got a new investigator on Saturday and he came to church and loved it. The topic at church was the priesthood. Right after that he was like, what's the preisthood? We sat down and we had a lesson with him. The lesson was so spiritual. It made me think back about all those times that I had questions and struggled with my testimony. Time that I choose to repent for wrongdoings. This guy asked half way through the lesson if God really does forgive sins. That question gave me an opportunity to bear my testimony of forgiveness to him. That God really does forgive us of things because He loves us very much, so he sent His only begotten Son down here just for me, that I have that path, that guidance, that road to Eternal life, the opportunity to live with my Father in Heaven, to live with the coolest family forever, even after this life. It is so amazing, and the plan is so simple we just have to follow in our Older Brothers footsteps, because He has lead the way and it is up to us weather we want to rise up to the challenge and follow Christ. It was so awesome, then we were able to give him a Book of Mormon at the end of the lesson. We found out that he has been reading about 50 pages each day. I was so stoked about that. Then on Tuesday we had another lesson with him, it went so good. I loved it, it was another spiritual lesson, at the end of that lesson he said that he felt like this is the right thing to do that it just feels so right. We set a date with him for the 4th of Septmber. I am so excited I can't wait until next Saturday, it is going to be so legit. Anyways I am way excited for y'all now that y'all are going to the gym, y'all getting in shape for the cruise that y'all are going to be going on. Where are you going to be going? So, Dad I have been working on the things that you mentioned about my companion. We had our struggles for about a week and we were able to get things worked out. We carry the spirit fully when we are both on the same page. Sometimes it is hard to overlook somethings but I am sure it is the same for my companion at times also. We are doing good. I am not able to work out much. My comp really dosen't like to do much. Not even ride the bikes like we are supposed to. I try to get him to get up early to go run etc. No go! I am working on just motivitating myself. I have gained muscle in my legs from bike riding, I haven't gained any weight since I have been on my mission. OH! You guys remember Mark. Daniel's friend. He told Daniel that he is thinking about coming back and wants to know if it is to late to start where we left off. I was way stoked when I heard that. Well I love you lots Dad, hope everything is going good.

Love Elder Eppich

Dear Family

Well, things are going pretty good here. We just got done with transfers. I had to take Elder Thompson to Odessa and pick up my new comp. His name is Elder Pentecos. He is a really big guy, probably about 300 lbs. He seems like a pretty cool guy. Well, transfers are not my favorite time of the mission. I get really, really nervous for some reason. The nervousness goes away with in a week or so. So that is a good thing. As I get older in the mission I am sure I will be cool with transfers. I am very happy to be in Alpine still. I have a feeling I won't be in here much longer though. Yes! I have air conditioning here. If I didn't I would go nuts. You have to have AC in Texas or you would die, Ha Ha. Oh! So last week we went to Terriangua, Texas. It is in the middle of nowhere, lol. Wow! It is kind of scary out there. It is kind of a ghost town, alot of houses but no one lives in them. I think it is haunted. lol. That story about Kel is way funny. I sure would love to hear from that guy. Could y'all tell him that, thanks. It is pretty crazy how time fly's. August is almost over. That was a funny story about Lexi and Alex getting left in the middle of the lake at the cabin. I could totally see that happening. I bet Alex was way scared. Did he go back out in the lake and tube after that? That cabin is my favorite place in the world to be. I can't believe that many people got sick at the reunion. Not good! That is awesome that Eric Kohen had their first baby, tell them hi for me.
About Elder Reay, I think that would be so awesome to serve with him. I will have to put a bug in Presidents ear. We would get so much work done together. Just to let you know, me and Elder Thompson were just starting to really jell and he got transfered. He will do good where he went, he is a hard worker. Mom it would be ok for you to write to the Ellises. They are a great family. Ray Ellis is a good guy. They are great members of the branch. Well Ray is not a member, just the kids and Sister Ellis. My shirts are great Mom, I really like the ones that you sent but I am just fine with the rest, don't worry about them. I hear that I may need a winter coat. I don't know weather to have you send one or not. We will see. Hey! Don't worry Mom my apartment stays really clean. I am keeping good care of things. Our investigators are doing great. They are all such awesome people. Michael Green has made some different decisions, so we will meet with him one more time. Daniel's grandma loves us to come around and serve her, we have to be careful though. She loves us. Megan Poatright is coming along good, she has been reading a lot but we haven't been able to see her for about a week. Everything else is coming along good. I still love this area a lot. I have some big goals before I leave here so that is what we are working on. My comp is a great guy. The heat is kind of tough on him, especially when we ride bikes but he keeps going. I had better go. I love y'all lots. I miss y'all very much. I am still waiting for the pictures from the family reunion. Gotta Go! I am out like a trout! Lol!
Love Elder Eppich

Elder Rymer & Elder Eppich enjoying some

scenery in the countryside of Alpine, TX.

Transfer Day! Nate going to Alpine, Texas.

August 12, 2010 New Companion

Hey! Dad & Mom;

Well; we went to Odessa the other day and it was so stinking hot! It is about 95 here so not to bad. My comp went to Lubbock to serve so I am staying in Alpine. I was so happy to hear those words. My new comp is Elder Pentacoast, something like that. He is from Logan Utah. He is a big guy about 300 lbs. Bigger than I used to be. He is pretty quiet but I will fix that. He dosen't know his lessons to well so we have some work to do and this will help me to be better than I am.
Mom I know that you don't think I say much, at the first of my mission when I would get nervous I would clam up but now , when I get nervous I talk through things so I am pretty sure I can be annoying because I don't shut-up. We will get along good I think. Yes! I am keeping my apartment very clean. Don't know about white glove clean but tidy. Helps when you don't have much to take care of. Some exciting news, we got Ray Ellis to come to church. That was the highlight of our week. His 2 boys had talks so he came. It was great. Love that family. We have some other things going as far as investigators go, so everyone is doing great. I am so thankful for the plan of Salvation and even though my mission is so hard for me at times I am so gratful that I made the decision to come out and give the Lord 2 years of my life and serve his children of Texas. I have learned so much and my testimony has grown so much. Sometimes I wonder how these changes happen like they do but I am so thankful for them. I am so thankful for my family and all that you have taught me. I hope I can raise a family like mine someday. We don't have much planned for p-day today. We do have some lessons tonight. The Ellises got me a wood bat so we are going to have a homerun durby today with some kids. That will be fun. School will start here next week , so those boys will be busy. Everything else is going great. My comp says that his mission is just flying by for him. I am not at that stage yet, but I am sure I will. I know the blessings I am receiving and that my family is receiving with me being out and I like that.
I have had some contact with Morgan. Sounds like he is doing great. Ball will be starting for him. Hope you can get to some of his games. I like hearing from those guys. Tell him Hi for me, I know he likes to come over to visit. Well I had better get, my time on this computer is up and we need to obey that rule. You have a great day! Love letters Mom!
Take Care! Love Elder Eppich

Dear Mom & Dad

Hey! Mom;
It is pretty crazy, here we are another p-day and writing another letter. It goes pretty fast for me for the most part, the days are like weeks and the weeks are like days. Some days go pretty slow but I have realized the farther you get into your mission the faster it goes. There are days that I am just so tired that it would be tempting to stay in and days that I just don't want to get on that bike. Somedays you never think the mission is going to end, but then you have some awesome experiences that re-charge you and it just flys by and the mission is going so fast it is crazy. There are days for all of us missionaries that you want to quit and go home and see your family and friends. I have found a quote that I really love, I will share it with you when I write you a letter. I read it everyday and it gets my day going. I love letters Mom, it is so great to go to the mail and have something in there for you. Did you enjoy the Temple. I really miss going. We have not been able to attend the Temple since I was in the MTC, I miss going. Look forward to when I can go again. We are 5 hours away from the Temple. How is Grandpa's back been doing? I still haven't gotten a letter from them since I have been in the mission. Would love to hear from them. Can you believe that summer is almost over. The college kids are arriving and will start up in about 2 and half weeks. Sports is starting up here also but their football team isn't very good. Most people here chase cows around and rope them. My comp is doing good. We are looking at a transfer for one of us this next week so I will let you know. Not real sure yet who is going where. Elder Reay is such an awesome missionary. I really like that guy, we are way good friends and we haven't even know each other very long. I think he is still up in his same area up north. Dad I can't believe that you haven't planned a fishing trip this summer. What is up with that? You better have some planned when I get home.
So Kacie is the big 25 on Monday? I know she used to always remind everyone when her birthday was I would think she would want to be quiet because she is getting so old, lol. Just kidding. How are bids going Dad? Yes! Dad that family that we did service for, we actually had a lesson with her last night. We watched the restoration, she wanted to know more about Joseph Smith. She says everytime that we come over there she can feel this peaceful feeling and that would be the Spirit testifying to her of truths. I have a testimony of service. I know when you serve someone they can see the love you have for them. It is such an amazing feeling. Well I had better get going. I hope all the family is well. I am doing great! Take Care
Love Elder Eppich

Nate is quite the inventive cook.

We used to eat these things at home all the time but we used toothpicks. Nate found another way to keep his hotdogs in the bread. Dental floss!

City of Alpine, Texas- Approx. 6,000 people

The 4 yr college there brings in about 20,000 students.

Rain in Texas- Hard to ride bikes in.

This is a typical rain storm in Texas.

Catching up on letters

Hey Mom;
Well sorry that my e-mail wan't very long. I didn't have much time because I was e-mailing y'all back. Sounds like you have been pretty busy with your calling. I am sure you are enjoying it.
As far as the 24th of July. Our Branch did some pretty fun stuff. We all went over to the Branch Presidents house. We had a B-BQ. It was pretty fun. We also played an intense game of basketball and football in the rain. We had lots of fun but we got pretty dirty, lol. In this area they don't do a whole lot of pioneer stuff. I think they are loosing the Pioneer spirit in alot of places, it's not good. We need to recognize the people that established this area. Mom that was pretty awesome that you invited the past presidency of the Relief Society in to give them a special gift. I am sure they appreciated it. Who was the past presidency anyway?
OK! Did Dad really ask the hometeachers to mend his socks and ask for a meal? Lol! That is way awesome, I laughed so hard when I heard that. I am sure you are taking good care of Dad.
Mom, you know I have been studying and learning alot about charity. It is an amazing gift. A great example of charity is Christ. That is the best way to honor Him and serve is to have charity. I have a great experience about serving and charity. This past week we were with Daniel, the guy we baptized. He lives with his Grandma, she is Catholic and was very angry and upset that he got baptized. We went over to their house and we spent the day and did alot of service for her, fixing things and helping her around the place.Daniel said that after we left his Grandma started to cry. She felt the spirit so strong while we were there and that we were not bad people and that Daniel didn't make a bad choice. Sometimes people hear things about us and don't understand and just form opinions on their own and don't ask us. She told Daniel that she would like to learn more about what we have to share. Just by loving her and serving her we were able to soften her heart about us and Daniel's choice. It taught me alot. That has strengthened my testimony of service. It is so amazing how the smallest things can change someones mind.
How are you doing trying to get to know the lady next door? I bet it is going to take some time. I know she has not been very friendly. I wish you good luck. You better hurry because you may not be there a whole lot longer. It is true that the pure love of Christ and just loving unconditionally can sand off the rough edges of anything. So you got a letter from Elder Reay? I miss that kid so much. I haven't seen him since I got to Texas. Have you talked to his mom lately? I wrote her a letter. His family is way tight. I can't wait to meet them. We do get to call other Elders. I will get some pictures with the Ellis family. I will get that done. Great family! Oh! Mom don't worry I do know how to skip rocks. The reason we were skipping big rocks is because me and Rymer wanted to see who can skip a big on the farthest. Of course I won, lol. Oh! Yes! I had to try the shock collar or the rest of the guys would of calledme a pansy, lol. It hurt! Not again! One of the members is a police officer. It was pretty funny. I did hear that Kacie's friend from Midland came to visit her. That's pretty cool. Maby I will get to meet him sometime while I am here. Well I will tell you a little bit about our investigators. Michael Green is a single parent, he has a 6 year old daughter, he is great and coming along great likes having us come. He is pretty good friends with the Pastor of the Cowboy church so he will have to make some decisions. He is a great guy and we enjoy visiting with him. Ray Ellis is awesome. We read the scriptures with him every night. We are just trying to get him to come with us and his family to church. This is the family that watches out for us alot. Great family. We have Mark and he will be getting baptized on the 7th, he is a friend of Daniel's.
Well mom, I am all good with the homesickness now. It was so hard at first. I am not as homesick as I was before, I love my mission and love the people of Alpine, Texas. They are awesome. Well got to get going. Mom, I love the fitted shirts, don't worry Mom I am keeping the bike tires on the ground now, I hated staying in the apartment and so did my comp so I will be laying low from now on. Learned my lesson.
Love ya so much. Love Elder Eppich

July Almost over

Hey, Mom & Dad;

Well this isn't going to be all that long because I have been talking with ya'all already. Things are going pretty good here. We have been tearing it up lately, my comp and I are leading the District as the youngest companionship, so that is pretty cool, and we are loving it. We do have a baptism coming up on the 7th of August. I can't hardly wait for that I am way stoked. A week ago we went to Odessa, Texas to have interviews. Then we had to stop by Stockton to pick up some Elders there. Long trip but fun. Yes Mom, that Elder that plays amazing piano is in my district. Do I wish I would of listened and learned to play, YES! That guys name is Elder Sharp, he is way tight, it would be way fun to serve with him. Well it has been really hot here and really hummid. I don't like it at all, lol. I am surviving though. Well I had better get going, I will write a hand written letter since I have been talking to ya'all and can't get your questions answered. It was hard not to think about ya'all being at the cabin without me but I dealed with it ok. Do send some pictures but not to many. Love ya'all lots. Can't wait to hear from you again. Love Elder Eppich.

Letter June 17th

Dear Mom & Dad;
Sorry I wasn't able to write much. I didn't have much time so I thought I would hand write a letter to you. It is so hard to keep up on the letters, I have so many to write and not enough time but I am finding time. Well to start off I will tell you a few experiences. The other day we had an investigator take us to a minor league ball game, we had permission and we also taught a lesson there. I was so excited. I got to go see the best sport in the world and do the Lord's work at the same time. On Tuesday we had a district meeting and when one of the Elder's there were telling a story he got so excited he jumped out of his chair and when he sat back down he broke his chair and fell over backwards. You know us boys, we laughed so hard we were crying. This was kind of a big guy and after we could see he was ok we all busted up laughing. So was he. Mom, Dad, Daniel is the most amazing guy in the world. He is a former youth pastor . The lessons that we have with him are always so spiritual. I just love it. It is always so amazing because he is trying to get him Mother to listen to us. I learn so much for such amazing people everyday. Yesterday, we were teaching a lesson and I was so nervous, so I said a little prayer before in my head. Halfway through the lesson words just starting coming out of my mouth. It was amazing. I knew it was the Lord helping me and the spirit was so strong. I have such a testimony of prayer and that it can help us we just have to talk to our Father in Heaven, he will answer us. Well it is pretty sweet here in Alpine. Except it is so stinkin hot. We have been riding out bikes about 3 times a week. It has been about 100 degrees. Humidity stinks too! But! I love it here. There are so many amazing cool people here. You know, we teach people to pray to God and ask Him for what they need no matter if they think it is dumb or a question they might think is silly. Just PRAY. I love prayer. Well I had better go. I never hear from Tia and the kids. Love you all so much. Love Elder Eppich

Last Days with Elder Rymer

Hey: Dad & Mom;

Sorry to hear that your not feeling well Mom. It is not good that your head hurts as much as it used to along time ago. I am really sorry because I remember those days. Most of those headaches probably came from me. LOL. Really, you and Dad have been working out lately? That's way cool. How long have you been doing that? There are days that you don't feel that good and you just want to stay inside but you just have to jump on the bike or in that car and go. It is hard sometimes but you will be blessed for it. My week is going by pretty good and fast. I can't believe that we are halfway done with July. It is so crazy, time is starting to fly. I think I am going to have a lot of fun with this new companion of mine. His name is Elder Thompson, he is pretty cool. He went to school with Mel's cousin Cory. I thought that was pretty cool. He is a really hard worker. Yes! I got my baseball mitt, thank you so much. I am so excited to use it. I am going to start doing some baseball workouts. The cookies were way good, I loved them. They were a little crumbly but they were still good. For the fudge, no they were not melted but I probably won't eat the one with nuts in it because I don't like nuts very much. OH! Wow! the bill for my bike crash was that much? Dang that's not good. Ya'll didn't have to pay for that did you? I have been being a lot more careful lately. I didn't like staying in the apartment for 3 days straight, that was not fun. Wow! Ya'll had 102 degree weather , that is crazy, lol. It is starting to sound like Texas up there. Actually it has been hotter up there than it has been here. It has only been in the 90's lately but it is not fun riding a bike in that weather, lol. It kind of stinks. You get all sweaty then you go knock on a door and you are dripping in sweat, ya I am sure the people talking to us don't like that to much. It sounds like everyone is doing pretty good. Kel is going to ride the bike down huh? That's sweet. Is Mel going with him or what? You should tell him that he needs to write me back. I haven't heard from him forever. Well I hope Grandpa gets feeling better. I have wrote them but I haven't got a letter back from them though.So your going to the cabin huh? That's not good, I want to go. No, it's all good, but ya'll need to take some pictures and send them to me. Speaking of pictures , I have all my pictures on a CD and I am going to send them home to ya'll so you can have all of my pictures. There is some pretty funny ones. Well, sounds like the family is doing great. Dad is keeping busy in ACN. I will tell you a little bit about what's going on here. There is this guy named Michael Green, he is so cool. He has a 6 year old kid and is worried for her teenage years, so we gave him a For the Strength of the Youth pamphlet He loved it and is just eating it up. I love that guy. Also there is this girl that we are teaching, her name is Stephanie, well she thought it was the coolest thing that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, it is so awesome. Then there is William. Well he is still drinking, but there is a funny experience we had with him. We went to see him the other day, he lives in a small apartment. Well to say the least he was drunk again and we caught him, he was very embarrassed. We are still teaching this guy. Hope he can kick the Alcohol habit. He is a way cool guy without that stuff. Dad it would be fine if you were the only letter I got in a week. I love reading your letters, they are so uplifting. I sure hope Grandpa gets feeling better. I would love to hear back from Grandpa and Grandma. I haven't heard back from them my whole mission. I don't know much about phones and what is going on in the world Dad. Daniel , this guy told us that the Droid is an awesome phone. He said that the I-phone looses reception easy. That's pretty funny about the guys in scout camp. I think ours was a little worse than theirs, we were on horses in the dark on cliffs, lol. We couldn't see at all, we just had to rely on the horses judgment, lol. That was so scary. Well I got to get going. Sorry this one is kind of short . I better get going. I love you lot's Mom & Dad. Can't wait until next week when I can hear from you again. Well gotta go. Love ya. Elder Eppich

Never touch a spider again.

Just to let everyone know. The spider thing was a one time thing. I will NEVER do that again.
I don't know where my brain was but it was a challenge. I will assure you that will NEVER
happen again. I think about it all the time and just thinking about it scares me.

Getting a new companion

Hey Mom & Dad: Well here is another week that has gone by. It is pretty crazy how fast time goes by. I actually kind of like how fast time goes by. When time goes by fast that means your busy and when your busy you don't think about home as much. Anyways, I never really thought that it would be this fun waking up this early. I kind of like it sometimes because your up before a lot of other people and it is really quiet and you have all the time you want to think and ponder about things that I never did back home. It is so amazing how much I have learned in such a short time. I just can't wait to see how much I have learned at the end of my mission. To be able to see the difference in myself, even though I might not really notice how much I have changed, I hope I have. Well, that guy that was wasted, we actually went back to his house a few days latter and he was actually sober and we had a really good lesson with him. It was actually really good. He had a lot of questions for us and everything. We read out of the Book of Mormon a little bit with him. We invted him to church next week and he said that he wanted to wait and see. We will have to wait and see if he is planning on going. I hope he is, seems like a nice guy, he is jewish.
Elder Rymer is getting transfered. He is going to be an office Elder for the last 2 months of his mission. He dosen't want to go in there though, lol. I don't really want him to leave either because I actually want to have a companion for more than 1 transfer, lol. But it's all good I will survive, lol. Well it sounds like you haven't had a very fun week mom. You have been a little sick. That's not good, I am sorry to hear that. Being sick on the mission isn't all that fun. Our mission president says when you are sick, work harder, when you are tired, work harder, when you are homesick work harder, and when your done with your mission you can relax. I am trying to work on that concept. The 4th of July isn't that fun on the mission. We did get to watch some fireworks for a little bit but not long. I guess when you don't have anyone home like me to remind you that we need to buy fireworks it is easy to forget about those things. That is pretty funny that Dad needed to call me for something and thinking I was still home. I have been gone for 4 months and he still forgets I am not home. It's nice to be missed. Why didn't anyone go to the cabin for the 4th. I just love it up there. Sounds like all the kids are doing well. Dosen't seem like you all get to hear from Kel all that much. I haven't heard from him forever, well it seems forever for me. I love hearing from my family. That must mean that he is really busy. Natalie told me that they put Olivia in ice skating lessons. I bet she really likes that. I can see her doing that. I hear that Rex is a crack up. He should be pretty fun to play with when I get home. Everything is going great here. The members are awesome and take good care of us. Sister Ellis says that she is my mission Mom. They actually paid to fix my bike. I tried to pay her back but she wouldn't take it. Her husband is the only one in the family that is not LDS. He is such a super guy. They have a great family and they help us out a lot. My new companion is Elder Thompson, he has been out one transfer less than I have . It has been pretty cool here in Alpine. We have had lots of rain and cool weather. That is good bike riding weather. We do get some humidity but not at all like Kyle dose. Mom thanks for sending my mitt. It is a good activity for p-day. There are 4 Elders in our district and most of us like to play ball and they all have their mitt's. Appreciate it. Better get going. Tell Kacie to write me back. I love you lot's Dad & Mom, you take care, hope you get feeling better mom. Love Elder Eppich

Is It Real??????

Nate assures us that this spider is real. From

the look of his face I am sure it is. You guess!

Loving Alpine, Texas

Dear Dad & Mom;
I almost passed out when I opened my e-mail and I actually saw that someone had written me. I was so shocked I thought you guys were going to see if you can push it for a 3rd week, lol, j/k.
The reason that I wrote such a long letter last week was because no one had written that week so I had an hour of computer time that I could write to just you. I don't think we should do that again, I didn't really like it, lol. I didn't feel loved. lol j/k. I have gotten the packages Mom and everything is great. Thanks so much. I would love it if you could send my mitt. I would love to use it for p-day. I didn't know that you can make 5 mitts out of one cow. I would of guessed 3 maybe. I am happy to hear that you and Dad had such a great time on your trip. I bet it was way cool to walk in the same places as the Prophet Joseph Smith. I would of loved that. I think we should go back there when I get home from my mission. I would love that experience. I would also love to visit and see the Temple over there also. You ran into a little fox? It was probably a good thing that he didn't come when you tried to get him to come to you because I have heard that those things can get pretty mean. I am so sorry to hear about Mr. Bauermiester. I am sad to hear that. I will pray for their family. Have they already had the services? Well it sounds like all the kids are doing well. It is way cool that Rex is crawling, it is about time that kid started to crawl, lol. No I didn't hear that Kyle fired that one dude. What happened? Things are going pretty well here. We have just been busy trying to find people to teach. We have a few that want to hear more, very nice people. The weather has been way awesome lately, it has been all cloudy and it has been raining and stuff like that. I love it because it is not hot at all outside so it is actually fun to be out there. Well, you guys probably won't believe me but I let a Tarantula crawl all over my arms the other day. It wasn't a pet spider, it was one that a member found outside and they tried to scare me with it. It took me about 15 min. for them to convince me to hold it. I was freaking out, lol. I still can't believe that I let it crawl on me. Spiders are one of my fears so maybe I have conquered it. lol. Well as far as the bike crash, it sounds like you all handled it ok. Yes! I know that it isn't good to get a concussion. I didn't mean to do it I was just trying to have a little fun. lol I will simmer it down though.lol. That hurt!!! Hope everything is
going good back home. I really can't believe it is already July, time is flying by. I don't have to many exciting stories to share. I have had to stay in for about a week with my concussion. We did come across this one guy that was drunk. We shared with him about modern day prophets and he wanted to know why he couldn't be a prophet. It was actually kind of funny, I haven't been around drunk people before. We did go back to see him and he asked us for a Book of Mormon and asked if we could take him to church, he wanted to change his life. It was so cool to see someone that really wants to make his life better. We will see what happens.
I heard that you had tornado warnings flying over Chicago. Those Tornado's are scary but awesome at the same time. Well Dad it looks like you broke your curfew a few times over there, being on the plane until after midnight and staying in the Sacred Grove till after midnight. That's not good Dad , you know what happens when you don't make curfew. Don't let it happen again. lol Well I had better sign off. I love you lot's Mom & Dad. Take care and have fun and don't stay out to late tonight, lol j/k Love ya!

Elder Eppich is courageous

I have a hard time believing this is real! Nate

is terrified of spiders, especially ones this big.

Letters coming!

Letter's are to come. Kathi has been pretty tied up. Nate is doing SO good. He is still in Alpine, TX. It is SO hot there. Last week he was in one of the hottest places in the States. He was in a bike accident and was in need of a CAT scan but everything checked out good, just a concusion.
He is doing well. Loves Alpine, the people are amazing there. He had a wonderful baptism Sunday. He gave 2 talks in one afternoon and he felt he did pretty well. Nate is not a man of manny words so this is good for him. He writes wonderful letters home and we enjoy hearing of his growth and maturity. He loves his mission and is working hard.

Elder Eppich and his minature donkey!

Letter to Dad & Mom

Hey! Dad; You know Dad you say that you are glad you are not farming when the weather goes bad like it has. To tell you the truth I miss farming alot. I know that I wasn't the hardest worker at times, I still miss it. I actually miss moving pipe, lol. That may be a shocker for you but if someone came up to me right now and asked me to move pipe for them I would jump on it in a heartbeat, lol. That's how I feel about the farm now that I am away from it. I did get your letter and it was an amazing letter Dad, I am not going to lie it brought tears to my eyes. I love you Dad and look forward to spending time with you when I get home from my mission. I know that I wasn't the most patient kid in the world when I was home but that is something that I have been working on out here and sometimes I am forced to work on being patient. I need that Christlike attribute out here so it is a good thing to work on. Sounds like you are working hard on the bids, sorry to hear that you didn't get that one job. Sounds like economy plays a big part in weather you get jobs or not. How is the farm doing anyway's? About Grandpa and Grandma, I have written them but they haven't wrote me back so just to let you know I have thought about them and I have written to them. . How is Grandpa's back anyway? Dad we have this 60 yr old man in our ward here that runs 5 miles a day, he is in way good shape, maby you should think about that so you will be strong and healthy when I get home. We are still on schedual with Daniel for June 19, I am way excited about that. The other investigators are doing alright. We are still working with them. Well I will make sure and be careful riding those minature donkey's, they can get pretty physical, lol. Love ya lots and take care. Love Elder Eppich

Hey! Mom: HaHa you almost forgot that it was letter day! I can't believe this, lol. I never forget about letter day, lol. I love my letters. So Dad beat you to the computer huh. Well I guess since he wakes up at like 4 in the morning it is understandable, lol. How I would like to work the pictures is if you can send me another SD card and then I will have a few to work with and I can send one at a time home and you can unload it and send it back to me. That is what the guys here are doing and it seems to work for them. Elder Rymer got his short sleeve shirts from Mr. Mac. Don't worry Mom I won't be jumping off any buildings here with my big shirts, even if I tried to do that I wouldn't even get hurt because there are no tall buildings big enough to jump off of and get hurt, small town, lol. Sounds like things have been really busy with your calling. Time flies when you are busy. I can't believe I have been here in Alpine for a month now. It dosen't seem like it. Right now I wish I wasn't here because I have to give a 20 minute talk this next Sunday. I am not real excited about that because I have never talked for 20 min. Just maby 10 min and that was hard enough. I will get through it just fine I am sure. Mom I am glad that you are enjoying your calling. I am glad that you are loving it. This calling is going to bless you very much. I have really realized that I will be blessed greatly from being here on my mission. I have also realized how important family is and also how important time is. You know back home, 2 years seemed like a long time but here on the mission it is so short. My Zone Leader was talking to me one day and he said that you can work really hard and work through sicknesses and trials or you can just be lazy and not do anything, you will be wasting the Lord's time, and either way you are here for 2 years so you might as well work as hard as you can. I felt like that was great advice from a great guy. Out here in Alpine we ride bikes about 3 hours a day then drive the car and sometimes walk. Elder Rymer and I are starting a workout plan to keep in shape. Daniel is on track for baptism for the 19 and we are way excited for Saturday to come. This guy is such a cool guy. He is the coolest kid ever. He actually reminds me of Laurin's Taylor alot. This kid is so funny. I do see some of the guys that I came on the mission with. I see one of them every week and I get to see Clark every 6 weeks at Zone conf. I haven't got to see Elder Reay yet, I really want to see that kid, I miss him. So Mom I am glad that you are reading your scriptures every morning. They really do help us have the right attitude for the day. It makes your day go 100% better. Just curious, have you been using my phone? Well I had better get going. I do hope everything is going good for you Mom. I love you lot's and your take care.
Love Elder Eppich

Elder Eppich & Elder Rymer on P-Day!

The Sunset in Alpine Texas- Nate seems to love the sunsets!

Elder Eppich thinks he is a Texan.

Enjoying the Mission

Hey! Mom:)
I think you and Dad need a new computer. That is crazy that it keeps shutting off. I know that Dad does write really awesome letters. So you couldn't find fitted short sleeve shirts. My companion has fitted short sleeve shirts. I just hate these shirts because they are just to big and they stick out big time in the back and I hate it. It is really annoying, it makes me look like I have a parashoot on, lol. I could probably jump off a building and fly away, lol. If you can't find any short sleeve ones then maby you could cut some off. How long will that take? I haven't gotten Kacie's CD's yet. They went to my last address, I told my last companion to forward them to me but I don't think he will do that. Thank you for getting the razor. That will be way nice and it will make it so my hair on my face won't grow as fast. lol. My new companion is so awesome, I love that kid. I have learned so much from him. It is way nice having a companion that actually wants to work. It sure makes time fly. It is pretty sweet. The area is amazing. The people here are so nice and they feed us alot. Because we get fed so much Elder Rymer and I have to go running every other day so we don't gain any weight, lol. I am going to send some pictures on the e-mail, do you want me to send some in the mail also? So the Sr. class went to Silverwood. Awesome! I understand about Lexi playing on Sunday. It is kind of hard sometimes, when you don't play on Sunday. You have to make sure that you are very good so that they will need you on the other days. I am glad that you guys didn't let us play on Sundays. It has blessed me and it has blessed our family. I have realized that from being out here on my mission. Thanks!
Shoot you can't wait to see Rex! I really can't wait to see that little kid. I have heard he is so fun to play with, I hear that he is in a really fun stage. I finally got a letter from Keldon. It was actually a pretty long one. It was way nice to hear from him, I got pretty excited when the letter came. I am so happy for him since he has lost all that weight, he needs to keep it up. The family that I was telling you about. We see them about 2 to 3 times a week. I was telling them about the cabin in Priest Lake. The kid Ryan wants to come up to the cabin when I get home from the mission. I thought that would be way cool if that was able to happen. Well, I love this area of Alpine. It will be up there as one of my favorites. On Monday we had a lesson with a guy named Daniel. It was the most amazing lesson ever. He said that he has felt like he has had something missing his whole life. We gave him the Book of Mormon, he could feel that it was the missing piece of his life. He said when he opened the Book of Mormon he said it felt like someone turned on a light. We asked him if he would like to be baptized and he said "yes". His date is set for June 19th. It was such an amazing experience, I loved it. I thought I would share that with you. Well I had better get going. I love you very much and I hope you guys have a fun trip. Keep it real, lol. In other words, be safe and have fun. Love ya lots. Love Elder Eppich

Hey! Paps;
How ya been? Well, that is pretty much lame that the computer keeps doing that to your letters. You should just get another one, just kidding. I do appreciate your letters Dad. I agree with you, attitude does change the mood that is around you. I have noticed that , the happier you are the more people want to talk to you, it is also alot funner. It has been much easier to have a good attitude towards everything since I was transfered and I got a new companion. OK! Dad, so Monday was an awesome experience because we taught this one kid named Daniel , he is way
legit,( which means cool, awesome, it is real) We started to teach him and in the middle of the lesson he said that he has felt like a part of him has been missing so we gave him the Book of Mormon and he opened it and when he opened it he said it was like a light turned on, he could tell that it was the missing piece and everything that we told him is what he needs and that it made so much sense. We committed him to get baptized on June 19 and he said yes. Baptism's are the best thing on the mission. Well, I just wanted to let you know about that. I love ya so much Dad. You are a great example to me. I hope all is going good for you. I better get going, I can't wait for your letter.
I love ya lots! Love Elder Eppich

Another Beautiful Amerillo Sunset!

!st Week in Alpine, Texas

Hey! Mom;

Really! You guys lost all of your letter for today? That's not good. It's ok if Dad dosen't get a letter out to me this week I will understand. We have next week. Even though I really like to hear from Dad because his letters are very encouraging. I know about boxing ears sometimes, that is how it feels sometimes with companions. But you learn to get over it. I did get the package Mom, thank you very much for the blanket I love that thing so much. I have been using a members blanket lately, lol. Now I can give it back to them, lol. Thank's for the cookies, they are way awesome. I really do need an electric razor. I could use 2 more white shirts. The short sleeve ones and fitted. All my shirts are to big for me. I didn't get the music CD's that Kacie sent but my last companion is sending them down to me so I should get them sometime soon, so tell her not to worry, at least I think they should be here soon,lol. No, I haven't gotten a letter from Kel yet, it would be really nice to get one from him. I haven't heard from him since I was in the MTC so it has been a long time. Can you please tell him I would love to hear from him, I know he is busy but it doesn't have to be a long one, I just want to know how he is doing and what he is up to. Well this new area is so awesome, I love it so much. I would never live here but it is such an awesome place to serve. Everyone is so missionary minded and everyone is nice for the most part. I got fed more in one day here than I did the whole transfer in Amerillo, lol. There is this one family that is so cool, they are the Ellises, they are way cool. They have 2 kids that just got baptized, the older one is 17 and the other one is 15. They love baseball, the older ones name is Ryan and me and him get along so good. It is awesome. My new companion is way cool, I love that kid, he is way funny and he is a hard worker. He has only 5 months left on his mission, his name is Elder Rymer. My apartment is kind of small but it is not bad. Yes! we live by a golf course and I really want to go but it is kind of spendy, lol. We live right below the college but they are out of school so there isn't really anyone at the school. We do live in the 3 story apartments. Everyday has been hot here except for like one, it has been around 85 degrees. Mom thanks for the scripture: Alma 1:26. Alot of pepole out here think that we think we are better than them, but it is not true, just like you said, we are just striving for a better life, which makes us become a better person, but not better than anyone else. Thanks! That's good that everyone is doing good. I haven't really heard from any of the kids lately but I understand everyone is busy but it would be nice just to know how everyone is doing. Well I better get going. Oh! Ya! just to let you know , we white washed in this area so we are both new here, lol. That means President took everyone out and all brand new missionaries came in. Well I love you lot's Mom, I hope everything is going good.
Love Eldr Eppich

Like my Bike!

These kinds of signs are up everywhere!

Amerillo Sky!

The Amerillo skies. Is there a country song

about that ???????

Nate's 1st Transfer on the Mission to Alpine, TX

Elder Eppich doing some service in Amerillo, TX

Hey! Mom & Dad; Time does fly when you are busy. I was just working good on the homesickness and I got transfered. Clear down south from where I was serving. I was sent to Alpine, Texas. That is on the southern boarder of the mission on the Mexican boarder. There is only about 6,000 people that live here. The closest large city is like 3 hours away. I am not to sure about this small town feel. I am really looking forward to the time when I can teach without problems, that comes with practice, the more you practice the better you get at anything.

So sister Esser is out of the hospital? That's way cool. So hopefully she is doing better now. Mom thanks for the advice. One thing that we learn out here is to forget yourself and when you do everything goes alot better. I did hear that Bryant is going to Brazil. That's way cool. I am way happy for him, that stinks that he has to wait so long to go. I would hate that long wait. Really, Colton has entered the MTC already, that's way crazy, where did the time go there? Could you get me Colton's address for me please? I am working on putting my companion first, which is really hard sometimes when they make you so mad, but as soon as you learn that concept everyting else falls into place and you are able to get along alot better with your comp and when you get along with him the work goes better and it is easier to teach with the spirit, and do the Lords work because you are having fun. All the missionaries out here tell me there is no point in being out here if you don't know how to have fun while doing the work. Well, I really didn't think this was going to happen but I got transfered. I was shocked. I have only been here in Amerillo for a month and half and thought I would be staying another transfer. I was sent way down south to Alpine, Texas. It is on the very boarder of the mission, the Mexican boarder. I feel way cool about that. I am in a city of about 6,000 people . I have a new companion his name is Elder Rymer, he is way cool, I love that guy. I think we are going to get alot done here. I am pretty excited about that. Well, how is everything back home? Is Laurin back from Utah? How is Kacie's new job going? Hey! Mom! I was wondering if you can send me my baseball blanket that you made for me? Thank's so much for the fudge, it was amazing. Hey! Dad! I agree with you on this modern Technology it is getting pretty crazy, just think what it will be like when I get home. You and me will both have to get used to it, lol. My week has been pretty crazy with the transfer. I am only about an hour and half from the mexican boarder. Dad thanks for the quotes. That is true. People are intrested in the motivation that you have and how happy you are. The people want to know what makes you like that when they meet you. I always try to be positive and have a smile on my face. I really like the last quote you shared with me: " A team dosen't win the championship if it's players are working from different agendas!" Never Surrender!! We are on our Heavenly Father's team. We have the potential with His help and our faith to work great miracles, if we have the same agenda that He does. We will not fail, We can not fail. If we do then Satan has the victor's crown. Thanks Dad. I am doing pretty good. I am a little homesick again because these transfers are kind of hard because they are just like starting your mission off again. I was just getting used to the Amerillo area. It's tough but I am tough. I was kind of bummed that I didn't get close to a tornado,lol. They dont have them down here. We were getting a few members to help us out up there in Amerillo. Alot of them didn't trust the missionaries because of the past ones. We were feeling like we were building their trust again just before I got transfered. Other than that, things are going way good here and I look forward to this new area and getting comfortable. Hope all is well at home.

Love ya lots! Your the best! Love Elder Eppich

Elder Eppich enjoying a break from his bike!

Elder Colton & Elder Eppich's 1st Baptism

Dear Dad & Mom;

Ya! It's does seem like you just said "another p-day behind me. It doesn't seem like it is going all that fast , but when you look back it actually is going somewhat fast I guess, lol. I just can't wait until I get to about 6 months and I won't think about home so much. It was way good to talk to everyone on Mother's Day. The week went kind of slow because I was so excited. After the call I was pretty homesick and it was hard to get back into the swing of things. I think that is how it is for most missionaries, lol. I was good on my time limit. I was on the phone the least of the 4 elders that day and President said we could call anyone as long as it was our family. Those are our mission rules. Did Keldon get my voice message? I didn't get to talk to him so I left him a message. I hope he got it so he didn't think I left him out. Can you tell him to write back because I havn't heard from him forever and I would really like to hear from him. Thanks! The baptism was so awesome. I can't wait becuse we are supposed to have another one at the end of this month. Wow! It is in the 80's there? It has only been in the upper 70's here and we are in Texas. Now, there is something wrong with that picture, lol. I am happy to hear that work is going good Dad. I hope you guy's have lots of jobs to keep everyone busy.

So mom, is sister Esser still in the hospital? What hospital? I will keep her in my prayers. I sent some pictures home so you should be getting them soon. Well, how is your calling coming Mom.

Are you stressed out over it yet, lol.? I am sure as time goes it will get easier and easier because you will get more and more used to it. I am having a few problems with my comp. He is kind of throwing in the towel. He has about 7 months left and dosen't really want to work. We are trying hard to work things out. It is hard when you are the Jr. companion. My bike is having some troubles. We went mountian biking for p-day, that was so fun. I ended up with some broken things so I will need to put it in the shop. Really! You got to talk to Elder Reay's mother? That is awesome! She sent us so much food in the MTC. Elder Reay is so tight. He made the MTC so much fun. I love that kid. We are plannig on rooming when we get off our missions. That kid is so tight. I hope I get to serve with him while we are on our missions. Yes! he is a very spiritual kid, and he is really , really funny, lol. I was going to write to his sister that is on a mission but I haven't done that yet. Their family is awesome. So are you and Elder Reay's mom like way good friends now,lol? Transfers are this Monday. I don't think I will be moving but I am not sure , I will find out Monday. Well I better get going, I love you guys so much. Remember to send the CD's. Your the best in the world.

Love you lots! Love Elder Eppich