#Tengberg & Cahoon in NY

I was able to talk with Trevor on the phone last Wed. when he arrived at the mission home.  He had shared the story about his companion.  He was happy to be there and to meet his mission president.  He told me that he had gotten voted "best package" by his Zone the night before leaving the MTC (I guess the whole MTC does this).  I sent him a package with some stuff I thought was cool but the overwhelming vote from all the Elders was the picture Austin drew for Trevor of a Super Sayon Goku (Dragonball Z)!  I think Austin has a fan club! Feel free to email him at trevor.cahoon@myldsmail.net or call me and I can give you his most current address.

Dear family and friends,
That's awesome that Collin is serving in the Kennewick Washington Mission.  It's a lot different from Arizona that's for sure but I really am proud of him. How funny would that be if Collin and Charlie were companions?! I actually could use some more white short sleeved shirts- maybe like 4 more! I just take pictures on my iPad now and no I can't use Facebook
and we don't have a Facebook mission page either. We don't tract at all- our area is HUGE!!!!!!! Its ginormous. I mean it takes 2 hours from top to bottom and about an hour and a half side to side.  Our mission area is really big so we have to drive everywhere! It's crazy. Yes mom I got the package.  Thank you! I'm being fed by at least 2 members every week! So it's good! Everything's going great!!!

Well my last day at the MTC, we got the note that said departing missionaries had to wake up and be at the bus at 2:30 in the morning!!!!!!!!!!! How crazy is that????!!!!!!!! So we woke up and got to the airport but the worst thing happened. My companion, Elder Richens,
lost his wallet at the airport which was an hour drive from the MTC!!!!!!!!!!!! So me, Elder Spencer, Elder Haroldsen and Elder Richens were all looking for his wallet but we couldn't find it so what did we do as Elders of the LDS church? We prayed! As we kept looking we couldn't find it and our flight was leaving in 30 min. and we still haven't gotten through the security checkpoint! Eventually, he told me to go ahead and he would get a ride back to the MTC, find his wallet and depart the next day, I felt so badly for him but I told him everything would be okay and he would find it. I felt so badly leaving my companion and I was heartbroken that morning! I eventually got through and told everyone what happened and got some breakfast. As I was returning, one of the Elders said Elder Richens came through. As I saw him walk toward me I went into a full-on sprint in the airport and basically tackled him with a hug!!!!!!!!! I was so happy!!!!!!!!! :) His wallet was in one of the shoes he never checked and he found it! The lord truly does work in mysterious ways!!!!!!!!! :) That
morning we flew from Utah to Atlanta Georgia and from Atlanta to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania!!!! We had a huge group- we had 24 Elders and 8 Sisters!!!!!!!!! The branch president at the MTC got to know me and my loud voice and gave me specific instruction to keep everyone together! So, with that big group I was able to use my loud voice to keep
everyone together in a busy airport. I felt like Ammon protecting the sheep and if anyone tried to harm me or my sheep I'd smite off their arms!!!!!!!!!! Hahaha jk But we all got to the mission home safely!

President and Sister Johnson are AWESOME!!!!!!!!! I always joke with them and say ok when can I start calling you mom and dad?! Hahahahaha lol but they are really great people!!! We got to the mission home and just had a blast. We got iPads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) I
didn't know this was an IPad mission but I was so excited!!!!! The next day was the big day where we would find out who our companion was!!!!!!!!! I was so excited to meet my Trainer. I knew we were gonna be best buddies right off the bat!!!!!!! So at the meeting I actually met Sister Mckenzie Duncan and that was really cool. She says I look a lot different and act a lot different but I still have the same attitude and energy she remembers! Hahah The time came to find out who my trainer was gonna be. As President Johnson said my name I immediately jumped up and was looking to see who my trainer was. Then President Johnson called him- Elder Tengberg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After the meeting I gave him a big huge hug!!!!!!! I was telling him we were gonna have so much fun together!!!! He is from L.A. California, he is 20 Yrs. old, he's been out for 14 months and  he played Volleyball at Ohio State (which is a D1 school) He is an amazing volleyball player! We were in the car for 4 hours driving from Pittsburgh, PA to Olean, NY.  We took that whole time to get to know each other!!!! So get this: his last companions were an Elder who was sent home on the tenth day because of sickness, then he had a visa waiter who was transferred at the sixth day. So Elder Tengberg was being interviewed by president Johnson and Elder Tengberg said he wanted an Elder who was exactly obedient, worked hard, was healthy and he wanted a companion who had a "greenie fire" ( a new missionary who wants to baptize everyone). So President Johnnson put me with him.  He thanked president Johnson because he says that I'm the epitome of "greenie fire!"  

When we got up to Olean, New York I realized I'm in the celestial kingdom! We live in a house and our food is all free and we have too many rooms. We even have weights!!!!!!!!!!! It's crazy it's so nice!!!!!!!!!!! The only bad part is that we live on a lot of grass and have to mow it. I was drenched in sweat! Eventually though we got it done! I've met a lot of members and investigators We have 1 investigator who wants to get baptized but has a fear of the water- like a legit fear! So she wants to see a baptism done and than I'm sure she'll get baptized. She is amazing though. It's just that fear but I told her if you put your faith in Jesus Christ you can overcome anything and He will help you overcome this fear. It's been great though. So many things to say and can't fit it all in. I will send pictures later today when we have wifi

Okay love you guys bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Elder Cahoon

1st letter 7/8/15

HEY FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!

That's so cool! I didn't know Ty was coming up how fun!!!!!!!! I love the Abbott's. They are great- it would've been nice to see Davis and Mason 1 more time. That's alright though, I'm having a blast in the MTC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would say I miss you guys but I'm having so much fun. I love being gone- I'm not homesick one bit but I love all of you soo much!!!!!!!!!!!

Where do I begin? So many things happened this week I can't remember all of the things I've experienced. It is CRAZY!!!! I love being here at the MTC. It was weird because when all of you dropped me off and I kept waving bye to mom I felt like well there goes my family forever but really it's not that way at all- if anything it's like you get adopted into a whole new family but your first family's still the best. :-)

 I felt right at home when I walked into the MTC! So many missionaries with a positive attitude and big smiles. I was like FINALLY MY PEOPLE! hahaha jk but really they were all so pumped and I was too. I wasn't nervous at all. I met my whole District.  My companion, Elder Richens, is great. I met him and gave him a big 'ole hug!!!! He doesn't speak a lot. He's more of an introvert but that didn't stop us from becoming the best of pals!!!!!!!!!!! He is from Tooele UT and we really do get along well. I care for him so much and I always let him know how happy I am to have him as my companion. He never escapes my sight unlike Austin who I had to chase to find. hahah jk bro! The other Elders in my district are great. They are my new family now. So brief history lesson on each of them: Elder Spencer played tennis for 8 years and actually lives next to the Abbott's- how crazy is that!!!!!!!!! Then Elder Haroldsen actually met Tyler while Tyler was serving in Spokane!!!!!!! It's like the smallest world in our district. I thought that was so cool when I found that out they were also going with me to Pittsburgh to serve. 

Then you have Elder Cortez who actually originated from the Philippines and he speaks the language Tagalog. He says that Cahoon in his language means box. I was like come on it couldn't have been "bringer of souls or something?" How lame right?So he calls me Elder Box!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I found it funny the first few times but I still love him. Then there is Elder Nye like Bill Nye the science guy. What is awesome about Elder Nye is he knows everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) about dinosaurs. It is so cool!!!!!!!!!!!!! So one night instead of saying what spirit animal we were we actually talked about which spiritual dinosaur we were!!!!!! I'm a HYPSILOPHODON. They are tall and strong and are very social and energetic.Elder Mink I only saw once but get this, I ran into another ELDER CAHOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Isn't that crazy? He is the one on Instagram that messaged me and we actually both saw each other and gave each other a HUG so we must be related. hahaha He is serving a spanish speaking mission but I forgot where, oh well but it was so funny! Yes dad I received the package. Thank you all so much! I already ate all the food and then the shoes mom got me, I broke in today. The picture Austin drew of SSJ3 Goku is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! I actually have it hanging up right on my cabinet by the door and when we got back and ready for bed all the missionaries were like Elder that is the coolest picture ever. All of them were just staring at it and I said yea my little bro drew it. They were like he's the best brother ever!!!!!!!!! I was like yea he really is I love him.  You're a stud Austi!!!!!:-)))))))))) On the Fourth we actually could go out and watch the fireworks but the trees were blocking them so that stunk but I did see a few!!! 

Now to get onto my favorite part the MTC itself. Others call it Missionary Training Center but I call it Kolob on earth!!!!!!!!!!!!! The spirit here is sooo strong it's crazy. On my first day I thought some of the Elders were leaders but they were just Elders who've only been out a week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was sooo confused but then I soon realized how- it's because of the spirit and how incredible it is!!!!!!! I've changed soooo much in just a week. If I came back now you would be able to notice and if I change that much in a week, guess how much I could change in 2 years!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! My teachers here our great! Brother Holmquist is amazing. He has taught me soooo much since I got here and it's crazy but somehow someway it is so much easier for me to talk and preach! It is because of the spirit and your testimony grows so strong. Your relationship with the Holy Ghost is so much stronger. It's funny I've only been here a week but spiritually it feels like months. I've never gained a testimony so strong and fast in my life than in the week I've been here in the MTC. It's mind blowing. It literally feels like your soul is growing and growing and sooner or later its gonna burst like confetti. Our district has really worked hard on exact obedience and we are doing really good!!! I mean everything- no matter how small or big the rule is- we will follow it exactly. We go to bed exactly at 10:30; we wake up exactly at 6:30 and do all the things they ask of us. I am totally willing to abide by these rules because I know that this is the Lord's time. I'm on his time. I literally gave up 2 years of my life to be on His schedule and that means doing everything that you're supposed to do. It doesn't matter what you want on your mission it's what the Lord wants and what He wants is me to follow with exact obedience and be a consecrated missionary! This week we actually had a member of the Seventy come and talk to us. It was Spencer J. Condie and he taught how the first vision is a topic we need to share in our mission because this topic is the keystone of our faith and since it's true that means Joseph saw God and because he saw God he saw that He and his son were two separate beings.  Joseph was then able to receive the priesthood keys. Alright I gotta get off- exact obedience. Okay BYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:-))))))))))))))))  

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Elder Trevor Cahoon