Elder Eppich with a HUGE sombrero that a

member gave him.

A Day at the Ranch

Hey! Mom & Dad;

Well, Here you go Mom, here is another letter for you. I am so sorry that I haven't been keeping up on the letter writing. I will try to keep up on it. I am not going to lie, I might miss a few weeks but I will do my best. Well, this week has been pretty sweet nothing really exciting has gone on except for Conference. That was pretty sweet. I love Elder Uchtdorf's talks. I think he is my favorite speaker. It seemed like conference was focused on guys picking up their game and getting married. At least in Priesthood it was. I hope they aren't talking about returned missionaries getting married right when they get home because I am worried that I have so many decisions to make when I get home. Conference was so great though. I noticed that President Monson was full of jokes. LOL! President Robinson came to our district and he was telling us that after listening to conference and realizing his call that he was having a change of heart. He is going to get out there and actually be a missionary instead of just a mission President. I thought that was pretty cool. Last week we found this unmarried couple that we started to teach, they are pretty cool. Their names are Debra and Andrew. Andrew is a lot more opened to learning, Debra not so much. We talked to them about eternal marriage and they really liked what we taught. Andrew was asking some pretty cool questions. So was Debra. I hope everything goes good with them they could really use the Gospel in their lives. Keep them in your prayers please! The Selina's family, we are trying to find out what to do with them. I don't know. They aren't taking it serious. But it is just like Preach my Gospel say's if they don't realize how important this message is , We Do! So we need to help them realize that they need Christ in their lives. Well those are our most progressing investigators.

As far as my comp and I , we get along pretty great. He does have a problem with someone younger telling him what to do. I guess I wouldn't like that either. But he thinks that I can't serve without him and keeps telling me that. He is right! I think one day I will just keep quiet all day and help him realize that we need each other to do the Lords work. He knows the area better than I and I have been out longer so I have had more experience in teaching. So basically together we make one. Other than that we are doing great and we will get that figured out.

We are pretty excited for p-day. We get to go out to a Ranch and we are going to play doctor with the cows. We get to put our hands all the way into the mommy cows .........and feel for the babies. I think it will be tight! LOL So I am pretty excited. We are going to be able to hang around the farm and help out and jump into hugh cotton bails. I will take photos for sure.

Riding bikes is going pretty good. Going good with the exercising also. I have started to eat more because we get fed here very well so I am pretty much staying at the same weight. I am hoping to get some running in here soon. Here in New Mexico it is a little colder than Texas. Actually a lot colder right now but still a lot warmer than home. You know Mom & Dad I have had a lot of experiences out here in the mission where I have realized that the Lord cannot work through us when we are boastful and think we are the best at everything. We are not able to listen to the spirit or be teachable. I am thankful that you and Dad taught us that we should not think so much of ourselves. I know I probably didn't listen so much at the time but I have been reminded of that often out on the mission. When we think so much of ourselves and put ourselves above others we are not able to be effective. I remember Dad always telling me, Let your game do the talking, you don't have to remind everyone that you are good if you have game. It works here in the mission too! Being humble! That is a Christ like quality. With humility we are able to serve others and not worry about ourselves.

My camera is ok! I bought that one from Best Buy but it was way expensive. So I took it back. Jeremy the kid we taught in Midland needed some money so I bought his camera that was pretty much new. It works for now. How is Dad feeling? Hope better. I have picked up something and been feeling really crummy. It is hard to do missionary work when you are sick but we will shake it here soon. Mom, you haven't seen Morgan in awhile? I am sure he is real busy with baseball. Hope he is doing ok! He wants me to go play baseball with him in Oregon when I get home. Yes! We are getting a new mission President in June. I am going to really miss President Robinson. He is way tight! Change happens and we all have to deal with it. I am excited to meet our new one. Well I had better go. Love ya'll lots!

Love Elder Eppich

We got back from the Ranch! We had an awesome day. We got to jump into huge cotton piles. We didn't get to check on the baby cows but maybe some other time. We loved being on the farm. We got back so late and we had a lesson and we didn't even get to shower. Stink!

Love ya'll

Spiders!

Hey! Mom & Dad & family;

First off! One of the members brought us home after splits the other night and said that he needed to check out the cellar for spiders. Didn't think to much of it until we took flashlights down there and there were BLACK WIDOWS EVERYWHERE! My comp and I ran up those stairs so fast. We left him down there. I have never seen so many Black Widows in my life. You know how I HATE spiders. Well, I think I got one hour of sleep that night. I could just feel them crawling all over me. The guy came back the next day and sprayed to kill them. I don't want to go down there to see if they are dead or not. I really like our home that we are staying in but not the fact that I have to live with Black Widows.
Well Mom & Dad, this letter is going to be a bit different. I know I don't say much on the net but I have a challenge for you. I would like to send this to the kids but not sure how they will take it. I know everyone is busy but I am going to give you and Dad this challenge anyway. This is a prompting from the spirit that I had and I want to share it with ya'll. I would like you to try and accomplish this before I get home. You have lots of time. Dad you know how hard it was to go out and knock doors all day long in the heat just to find that one investigator that is just waiting for the gospel to feast upon the words of Christ. Well if you have been on a mission you know that it doesn't work all that well. Most of the baptisms come from member referrals. Not all members go out and do what their part in the missionary work is. I guess we all think it is the missionaries job to find those who are searching. NO! that is not how it works, we are on a mission to help members to do their job, members are the means. Without the members our work is not possible. Last year we had 400 baptisms in the Texas Lubbock Mission. 350 of them came from member referrals. NOT from knocking doors. I would like ya'll to read D&C 38:40-41. Think about that scripture and look at your responsibility as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Also, read Alma 6:6 and do what that scripture tells us to do. I will get down to the chase. What I am asking ya'll to do is to find at least one person to teach in your home with the missionaries before I get home. The members here in Portales that follow that advice tell us all the time of the blessings that they receive from doing this. I know our family will be truly blessed. Then you will be able to bless the lives of others. Please take this challenge for me!
Things are great here in Portales. I am loving this place. I love the farm area. Dad I know you said in your e-mail that I couldn't wait to leave the farm and get away from it , but I can honestly tell you that I really miss being on the farm. I would give anything to go out and move hand lines with the family. I know, pick yourself up, it is a shocker. We are not able to be on the equipment on the farms here that we do service on but we get to do the grunt work. I love it, it gives me a chance to get into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and get my hands dirty. I am glad ya'll liked the pictures that I sent. I need to do better, I just forget to get the camera out but I know I am going to want them after my mission. Yes! Mom that is my comp Elder Krizin. He is from Utah. Funny looking guy but fun to be around. I am doing pretty good on keeping myself healthy. I can't work out much but I do my best. I have lost lots of muscle but we can work on that when I get back home. Oh! I lost one of my memory cards. I know you are mad right now Mom. I will keep looking for it. Yes! Mom it would be fun to skype but that is not allowed here in this mission. We are getting a new President in June. Maybe he will let us, but if not that is ok. I am going to miss Pres. Robinson. We get along great!
Our investigators are doing great. We have a family of 7 with a date of April 10. Keep them and us in your prayers so that all goes well. We are teaching the plan of Salvation tonight so I am so excited for that. I love the plan of Happiness. We are so blessed to have this in our lives. It gives us peace and comfort during our life here on earth. There are 2 other investigators. We have two appointments with them, one tonight and one tomorrow. We hope to set a date with them by this weekend. I love this place. I love the humility of the people in the community and the ward. I would love to stay here for awhile. The other missionaries tell me that I am in the promise land. Just kind of like home. Well I had better get I am going to get kicked off this computer. Hope all is going well for ya'll. I am really excited for this weekend to listen to Conference, it will be great! I hope ya'll love it as much as I will. Suit season is over here. We don't have to wear our suits all day. I am pretty stoked about that. LOL! Well, Love ya'll, Take Care.
Love Elder Eppich