Walking! Talking! And Rocking!

The Stewarts from Wexford Ward

Bro. Kraus from Wexford Ward

Elder Cahoon's guy Ty! He will miss him!

Hellooooooooooooooo family and friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Wow what an exciting time to be able to write you!!!! Last you heard from me I was in good 'ole Ambridge, PA and now I'm in Lewisberry, PA which is on the east side of the mission (it was about a 4 hour drive!!!) Crazy!  This is also a walk area!  My first walk area I've been to on my mission and I absolutely LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will answer all of your questions at the beginning so you don't have to wait till the end of the email to get your questions answered! 

2.Yes I'm in Lewisberry- walk area!!!!!!!!!!!😃😃😃👍🏻

3. I'm in the Harrisburg Zone which is still in the Pennsylvania Pittsburgh mission!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4. So the only 2 zones that are leaving our mission and our joining the Baltimore Maryland Mission is Lancaster Zone and Chambersburg Zone.  That means all the missionaries serving there are leaving our mission and joining the other mission. Guess what???? That means Elder Mink is leaving the mission!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  A few other elders I know  are leaving as well so that really stinks!!!!!!!😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😢😥😢😥😢😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 it's sooooo sad!!!!! 

6. Yes I'm staying!😊😊😊😊

7. No other changes to any other missions that I can think of. They just took part of our mission away.

8. My address is 520 Reno Street, New Cumberland, PA, 17070

That sounds like a lot of fun you guys going 4 wheeling.  Good for you mom getting out there and showing all the guys up! Hahaha!!!!!!!!!! I bet you guys had a blast!!!!!!!! I'm glad that Austi had fun at Green Machine Camp.  Those were sooo cool!!!!!!! 

So wow this week was packed full of just so many new things!!!!!! I can't wait to tell you!!!!!!!!!!! So Tuesday was transfer meeting and while there I saw a lot of Elders go home as well as a lot of missionaries that I knew but won't see again thanks to the new mission boundaries!  While at the transfer meeting all of a sudden some missionaries were yelling at a truck which was on the other side of the parking lot.  I realized that there was an Elder's iPad on the roof of the truck and they were about to drive out of the parking lot. So everyone started to yell; then all of a sudden I drop my iPad and throw my sunglasses and unleash into a dead sprint.  I was running full speed across the parking lot to te truck and when I got close enough to it, I jumped up and grabbed the iPad and then handed it to them.  They said thanks and I felt so cool!!!!!!!!!!!! It wasn't really that cool I just imagined it looked pretty sweet!  Then I found out I was the driver from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg and I was taking 3 Sisters and 2 Elders.  Needless to say, we just had a party in that van (Tyler, remember your transfer van experiences??!!) It was so much fun driving!!!!!!!!!!!!  We were all good getting out of Pittsburgh.  Well we got to our next areas all safe and sound!!!!!  I met my new comp and he is so much FUN!!!!!!!!!! Elder Cuthbert and I are hard workers and are obedient but also love having fun!!!!!!!!!!! I also found out that my trainer, Elder Tengberg, served here in Lewisberry- he was actually trained here.  Well Elder Cuthbert is from Riverton, Utah.  He's been out for about a year and 6 months.  He likes to do video editing.  We picked up a new investigator and while contacting our other placed a Book of Mormon with someone else!  

Elder Cuthbert- new companion in
 Lewisberry- with Elder Cahoon

We also had an awesome district meeting by my companion, Elder Cuthbert.  He talked about the importance of teaching skills! We also did a role play on how to simplify a lesson or to make words and phrases more simple.  I forgot to tell you that we also almost died on our way to the District Meeting.  I left my sunglasses on the front console and I asked if someone could hand them to me? Well one of the elders- the one who was driving- was tryig to get them and while doing that, he ran a red light and almost hit a car that was turning into the same lane.  We swerved around it and just missed it.  I don't think the car ever notice us.  They just kept driving nonchalantly.  It was the the quietest, near-accident that I've ever seen or been a part of.  Then Elder Cuthbert jokingly added that I better protect the glasses as we all almost died for them.  hahahaha!!!!!!!!! It also doesn't help that the next day I left them in Bishop's car- whoopsie!!!!!!!! Hahaha!!!!! 

I have had so much fun with Elder Cuthbert we just connect and we work hard.   I can't describe how much fun this all is!!!!!!!!! It's just a blessing and a great time when you are with someone that you get along with and they get along with you!!!!! I love him dearly!!!!!  I love you.  Have a great week. Take care. Bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️   

Elder Cahoon the Baboon

The Lubins from Wexford Ward

The Tunnells from Wesford Ward

Tearful and Touching Tansfer

Hellooooooo family and friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm getting transferred and I'm going to a walking area in Lewisberry which is in Harrisburg.  It is on the east side of the mission or the east side of Pennsylvania.  It's about 3 1/2 hours from Pittsburgh.  So what's crazy is all the missionaries on the east never see the missionaries in the west and vise versa!!!!!!!!!  It is wierd because the district and zone I'm going to, I don't know anyone!!!!!!!!!!!  No one knows me either!!!!!!!!!!!!  It's going to be really strange!!!!!!!!!!! However, I found out that my trainer, Elder Tengberg, was trained in that area and now I am going to be a trainer in the same area.  Pretty crazy!!!!  

My new companion is Elder Cuthbert.  That's all I know about him. I'm not a District Leader as of this transfer which is sad because I loved being a District Leader.  It was another way to help the Lord's work progress and for me to serve others.  I enjoyed it quite a lot!!!!!!! So the actual transfers are tomorrow so I haven't gotten to Harrisburg yet nor do I know anything like my address, my area, where myn companion is from- all that good jazz.  I will let you know next week.  

So you know what I need?  I need some short sleeve shirts but before you go get me short sleeve shirts like I have, listen for a sec! So the short sleeve white shirts have to be comfortable.  The ones you usually buy mom are pretty uncomfortable-not gonna lie and they are terrible in this humidity.  Those shirts keep in a ton of heat!!!!!! So I need some short sleeve shirts that:
1. Don't have the button down collars.  Those just look really dorky.  I've graduated from
Primary mom.  I don't need to button my collar anymore.
2. Have to be COMFORTABLE! They need to be LIGHT and SMOOTH!!!!!!!
Elder Miller has some Stafford white shirts.  They don't have button down collars and they are really smooth. So try and look for those.
3. This one here is optional so if you can't find one that doesn't have it don't worry but I would like a white shirt that has a soft, smooth collar around the neck.  Hahahahaha Mom, you know I'm all about being comfortable.  You guys are probably laughing it up right now! 

So remember short sleeve shirts!!!!!!

It is so good to be able to write you guys each and every week!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so glad I have that opportunity and time to be able to do that!!!!!! I'm so grateful that I have the opportunity to be a representative and disciple of Jesus Christ each and every day.  Some days may seem monotonous because we do the same things.  We don't get to go to dances, work out, watch TV, go to movies, eat whenever we want to and do things we want to do when we want to do them.  All these things that I did before my mission but for the last year and for this next year, I can't.  But you know what???  I sacrifice all these things- my time and wants- for something even better.  I know it sounds cheesy but one of my favorite quotes sums up my feelings exactly:  " The greatest decision I ever made in my life was to give up something I dearly loved to the God I loved even more.  He has never forgotten me for it" by Thomas S. Monson.  This I believe describes my mission.  When we give up the temporal for the spiritual, God will bless us EVERY. SINGLE. TIME!!!!!!!! I have a testimony of that.  I am a living testimony of that.  If I can do it, anyone can.  God qualifies those that He calls!

Now Dad I want to talk about you and how great of a father that you are! Dad, I'm so grateful for the example you've been to me in my life!  You are definitely someone who sacrifices and who gives up what they want for something better. I never have really thought about how difficult it is to be a father.  When you were younger you probably didn't

want to come home to a bunch of crying babies and little boys.  You sacrificed things you wanted to do so you could be with us.  When you were single you probably thought a lot about football and being the best you could be at that.  Idk if it was a hard transition for you to be married and have kids or not but I do know that it is not easy and kids are a
handful.  However you sacrificed the things you wanted for us and I will be ever so grateful for your love and how you have shown it to us dad! You were such an amazing dad to get up early to work out with us in the morning at 5:15 and then to come home and make Austin and I breakfast every single morning when we were in high school! You truly showed your love for us.  You were always there when I needed someone to talk to.  You would drop everything you were doing and listen to me and give me the best advice that you could.  You taught us how to work hard and that things in life aren't given to us but have to be worked for. You have been a role model in my life Dad and I want to be able to just like you. I want to be a hard working father who lays down his life and forsakes his time and wants for the wants and needs of others! I do know that you are the best dad I could ask for.  You were always willing to work things out with the family.  Marriage is a team effort and you know Dad, you definitely know what it means to be a team.  You reach out to the "players" in our family and help us work together.  You and mom have been great coaches on this family team and I couldn't ask for better family coaches.  Thanks Mom and Dad- you are amazing!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well this week we did some service for our friend J and we listened to an amazing talk.  It is called "It Is Not Good That . . . Man Should Be Alone” — Kevin J Worthen.  In this talk he talks a lot about how others play a role in this gospel and how other people, and our relationship with them, affect our happiness and our love for God.  Here are some quotes from the talk that KI shared with J.  I absolutely love them!!!!!!!

"Because of His great love for all of God’s children, and as a result of the intimate and infinite nature of His great atoning sacrifice, Christ is personally affected—either negatively or positively—by the way we treat every single person with whom we come in contact. Thus the quality of our relationship with Him will depend to a great degree on the quality of our relationships with others."

“The quality of our daily relationships with others is the best indication of what we think about Christ.”
— Marlin K. Jensen

"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship. . . . There are no ordinary
people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. . . . It is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit."
— C. S. Lewis

Jay absolutely loved this talk because he always says, "Man is not supposed to be an island."  After we listened to this talk he shared some good insight.  It was amazing!!!!!

It really is sad to leave Ambridge, PA though!😭😭😭  I have loved being here.  It has been so much fun to be able to work with the ward here and I have truly come to love the people here! I'm going to miss a ton of families.  I want you guys to know when we come back and
visit the mission with me, you are going to love these people; they are basically my family! Church Sunday was probably the most love I've felt and been shown from members on my mission.  We were just joking around and hugging as we said our goodbyes.  A lot of the members were wanting to stay in touch and I have quite a few that I'll be sending my weekly emails out to.  

Well I love you guys.  Sorry I wrote so late but we got some calls from President because one of the Elders we are bringing back had some logistical travel issues we had to sort out first and then we had dinner with thenK family! I'm so excited for transfers to see what new

lessons the Lord has in store for me!!!!!!! Love ya guys.  Have a great week.  Bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️

Elder Cahoon the Baboon

Meetings and Learning

HELLO FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow how great is it to write you once again!!!!!!! This week was a good week!!!! We started it off great as well!!!! We did service for the P family in our ward! We actually went over to their place for dinner.  They are still trying to move in and get a few things situated so we helped them move their armoire into their garage. Then we ate some dinner and afterward moved a few other things.  I love moving furniture and helping out other people!!!! 

So this last week we had zone conference! I think that at this zone conference there were a lot of different things that stood out to me than usual.  I feel like a lot of the things that we talk about now in zone conference or zone training, I have already learned!  So what I have been doing lately is focusing more on what the Spirit is trying to tell me instead of focusing on all the instruction.  During this last zone conference as I was focusing on that, I received the strong impression that everything that I've been trying to do here in Ambridge is what the Lord has needed me to do! Our Mission President gave a training on the standard of truth and how the work will progress no matter what happens! I have definitely gained a testimony that this is the Lord's work and that we cannot fail! What a comfort it is to know that no matter how inadequate or imperfect I am that God
will use me as an instrument in his hands to be able to help his work progress!  We also received some new pamphlets- it's funny how excited missionaries can get over receiving some new pamphlets! I absolutely love the Preach My Gospel pamphlets that the church has come out with! :0)

The funny thing that happened this week:  The dinner appointment was on Friday night. Sister O, a sister missionary in our Ward, goes home next week so a family in our ward that is pretty well off took all the missionaries out to a super fancy restaurant! So it was pretty funny because we all 5 sat down at the table and we all opened up the menus... A couple of seconds later we all made eye contact. haha  All of the meals were so expensive! So I asked the brother we were with, "What's good here?" He said, "Get anything you want as long as it's $19.99 or less."  So we look back at the menus then we realize that
nothing on the menus is $19.99 or less! Haha It was the nicest place that I have ever been to! They told us we could get anything that we wanted so I got a huge steak! It was so good!!!!!!!!!!!

So this week I've gotten better at getting up on time- just gotta keep going strong on that!!!!! Yea Elder Schofield does get up on time and to answer your question if we help each other get up on time, the answer is no.  Now you are gonna wonder why we don't help each other and I'm going to teach you a very important lesson I learned back in Olean, NY. So when I was companions with Elder Harper (BTW he's getting married on June 25th).  Anyways, back on track. So when I was companions
with Elder Tengberg (my first companion) he helped me get up at 6:30am every morning and I got up at 6:30am every day! Then when I was companions with Elder Harper (my 2nd companion) he would get up but he wouldn't wake me up or tell me to get up.  He would just get up and do his morning routine. Then I would wake up and be late for studies.  At first I was frustrated but I figured he would help me later on.  Well after a few weeks he didn't wake me up and I was getting more and more frustrated so I asked him why he didn't wake me up.  His response, I still remember to this day.  He said, "if I wake you up every morning at 6:30 what would that do? You would have to rely on someone to wake you up and you would never be able to get
up on your own."  He began to explain to me the difference between changing behavior and changing nature.  He said if someone woke me up every day for the rest of my mission I would never be able to get up on my own. However, if I got myself up and could learned how to wake up on my own then I would never have to rely on anyone. I thought about it and I agreed.  I believe that we should change our nature which can be done with the Savior's help. 

The trio is going very well- it's like I'm on exchanges every day!!!!!!!!!!!! Our teaching pool is actually pretty rough.  We are
going to do a lot of LA contacting and finding through our own efforts and by doing that we can increase our teaching pool.  Using members would be most effective but because we are in Ambridge and all the members live in Wexford, noone knows anyone in Ambridge.  We do have a potential baptism, B, but she got a new job and has been working many hours.  It is difficult for her to get and stay in contact with us. When we do meet with hr she knows what we are teaching is true!!!!!!

Thanks for the fun facts a out Pittsburgh.  That was awesome!!!!!!!! Well that's about it.  I love you guys.  Have a great week. Bye!!!!!!!!!

Elder Cahoon the Baboon

Accentuate The Positive

Hello family and friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Wow I'm so glad everyone had an exciting time with Ty down in New Mexico and in Texas.  Man you guys are going everywhere!!!!!!!!!! Mom thank you very much for the advice
on waking up in the morning- that helped a ton!!!!!!!!!!  When I get home I would love to see you guys and the Fuller family all together.  I hope that we can all make that happen!!!!!!!!! I really miss Kyle.  I need to write him so I can keep in contact with him. I love that guy
sooooooo much!!!!!!!!!!!!  I got a haircut today.  She messed up so I look funny but whatever; who cares! 

Well let me tell you how my week went this week.  We didn't teach very much but we had a miracle happen!!!!!!!!!! So J, the LA we teach, is an awesome guy.  We went over this past week to do service with him. He's always has a project for the missionaries to do and we love going over to help out!!!!!!!!!! He's been planting a lot in his greenhouse so we've been helping with transplanting and planting plants.  We always have the funniest conversations with J.  Like one of the questions he asked us was if we lived in the woods for 5 years and ate nothing but bugs what would be the first food we would eat. Schofield said "chocolate milk" and J said, "That was probably the gayest answer I've ever heard in my life! Leave my house right now!!!"  I said Wendy's fries and he said, " Alright you are no longer my friend."  Funny huh?  Well we had a lesson with him and we talked about how to find happiness and joy and we referred to the talk by Hank Smith "Being Happy In An Unhappy World."  We referenced many scriptures from the Book Of Mormon on how to be a happier person:

Accentuate the positive
1 Nephi 17:1-3 We read an account where Nephi talks about how God has blessed him and his people even though they were going through a very difficult trial; however, he notices all of the positive things and recognizes his blessings.  However in a few later verses Laman gives his account.  It's the same situation but in verses 20-21 Laman states all the negative things and he feels that God is cursing them.  The exact same situation but 2 totally different perspectives.  I believe if you look for the positive you are gonna find it but on the other hand if you look for the negative you are gonna find it.  Remember attitude is everything!!!!!!! 

How many times have you heard or seen negative people complaining?  We need to affiliate with positive people and show a positive attitude so we can help lift negative people.  A story that is included in the talk is about Thomas Edison.  He actually lost 90% of his hearing at age 12 and he said this to his parents, "I kind of like it.  It allows me to focus more." So what did he do?  He turned a negative event  into a positive.  When he was inventing the light bulb many people said he had failed an it couldn't be done- that it was merely a fantasy.  To these naysayers he said, "I have not failed.  I have found nearly over a thousand ways that it won't work but I have not failed."  Ha Imagine saying that to your teachers on a math assignment:  "I didn't get it wrong, I found a way that it won't work but I didn't fail."  Another story: his factory was burning to the ground and his son, Charles, was frantically looking for him to see if he was okay.  Thomas was calmly watching the fire burn down his life's work.  When Thomas saw Charles he told him to go get his mother because she "would never see a fire like this as long as she lives."  Can you imagine that?  His work going up in flames and he's enjoying it like it's a bonfire hahahahaha!!!!!!!!!! The next morning Thomas calls his employees and says "my friends there is much success to be found here.  All of our mistakes have burned up.  We can start anew and fresh!"  I mean seriously, this man was probably the most positive person EVER!!!!!!!!!! So let's try and be positive like Thomas Edison!!!!!!!

Well anyways, the lesson really affected J and he said he wanted to come to ARP which we've been trying to get him to come to for the past forever!!!!!!!!! He says he will come but he never shows up.  However a miracle happened and he actually CAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was so cool!!!!!!  He shared some amazing insight at ARP and it was so wonderful to just have him there.  

Another great thing that happened is that we had dinner with the Sisters' investigator and her husband.  She fed us and is awesome and is golden.  She knows soooo much about our church.  Well anyways we had dinner with them and I asked how they met.  I'm not kidding, the story that they told us of how they met was amazing!!!!! The greatest love story ever!!!!!!!!!!!  They were high school sweethearts and they dated but broke up.  She got pregnant at age 16 and had her kid.  Her current husband (exboyfriend at the time) and her were still good friends and so he helped out for a while and tried being there for her.  They eventually decided to marry and he adopted her son.  How amazing is that!?!?!?!? Well it was a great time and they are the most loving, caring people ever!!

Another thing hat happened this week one of the members in our ward had a birthday party for his 3 yr. old and he invited us  because his son has lots of nonmmber friends.  I loved it. I just got to talk with regular people about just regular stuff. They actually asked a lot of
questions to us as missionaries and I realized regular people are much more nervous to talk to missionaries than for missionaries to talk to regular people. It was a really good experience.

I also went on Exchanges this week to Pitt 4th Ward (that's Bishop Hokes ward- remember he was a pro football player).  Anyways that was a pretty great day as we did a lot of contacting on the street.  Guess what!?!??!?!? (pause for dramatic affect).  I got flipped off three different times that day!!!  It was actually really funny because when they did it I would smile even bigger and wave even harder at them.  :)  

This week I prepared for district meeting.  We had just had a zone training on the B.O.M. And I had to give a district training on the B.O.M. as well. I am able to see the improvement in my teaching and Eler Schofield told me that the trainings have been good. :)  As I studied it out in my mind which direction I wanted to go with the training, I decided to teach from the Introduction of the B.O.M.  I studied a ton!!  I knew what I wanted to teach but I didn't know what the role play was gonna be nor what the commitment was going to be so I kept studying.  Distict meeting time came and I abandoned my notes and followed the Spirit.  Great insight was shared by other missionaries and I received revelation about our investigators during the meeting.  I feel the meeting went well because I was first prepared and then I was willing to follow the spirit.   

So follow the spirit and accentuate the positive!!!!!! I love you guys sooooooooo much.  Take care.  Have a great week.  Bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Elder Cahoon the Baboon