Hello there.

We ate a lot of fish this week. it was wonderful. Members will periodically ask what we would like to eat for dinner and we know that Cathlamet is a great place for fish so we have been asking for that recently. It finally caught up to us and we had some good spring salmon and Alaskan Halibut. Yum. Elder Crowther didn't like fish so I am grateful that Elder Mellies does.

Well. In district meeting we set a goal as a district to get 50 oym's and 3 new investigators per companionship this week. Cathlamet has never got more than 30 oym's in any given week. It is just really hard to talk to people here. And also, oym's have been dipping recently around our mission. So that is what president wanted to focus on this week. We were able to all get 50 oym's! we all got 2 New investigators so one short for each of us but that is harder to control. The things we could control we were able to accomplish. Elder Mellies and I spent 3 1/2 hours knocking doors yesterday and we only got 20 oym's. It is really hard to oym in Cathlamet... If we ever spent 3 1/2 hours tracting in Yakima we would end up with 100 oym's haha. Oh well. we worked hard.
Another thing I tried to do this week with our district is give a little incentive to exercise in the morning. I promised free lunch to whoever could do the most push-ups between the times of 6:40-7:10 from Wednesday-Saturday. Elder Mitchell did the most - 1000 push-ups in 2 hours essentially. So now I owe him lunch. I'm thinking of what we are going to do this week. I cant afford to buy someone lunch every week so I am going to have to tailor the prize a little bit.

We put Frances on date! May 26th. The work moves forward. She was very nervous to commit to a date but we guided her through it. We didn't want her to become stagnant and she knows it's all true so we helped her set that goal. I really hope she feels ready by then. We got her a large print Book of Mormon so it is easier for her to read. She would read a lot with the small book but now she can read a whole lot more! Sister Johnson stopped by her place without us the other day just to say hi. Sister Johnson is the best. I am really excited to see the progress that we have made with Frances.

Bill Duba came to church. I dont know if I've mentioned him. He is in his 90's and is a WWII veteran. He was a spy and had to pretend to be a nazi for awhile so he didn't blow his cover. He has some crazy crazy stories and he has no problem talking about them. He ran the ovens, he watched what German soldiers would do to the Jews. He had to clean out the ovens when everyone was dead. He has seen some terrible things. And now he is living in a barn where his house used to be. His house burnt down recently... He is very kindhearted. just depressed at this point. If he ever goes to church it is to the LDS church. But he isn't a member. He just feels too old to get baptized... We help him out though. He likes company. Brother and Sister Johnson are good friends with him too. Sister Johnson... missionary.

Mark came to church again. Like always. We are going on an exchange on Saturday so that Elder Peterson can see him and talk to him about baptism before he goes into the army. I hope that goes well.

Stan didn't come to church.

We had interviews this week. I love talking to President. He makes you feel good.

I've been taking ASEA too. Can you take too much of that in one day?? At first the taste was sickening but it has gotten a lot better. It is tolerable now. I think it's making a difference. We'll see

We're going bowling today!!! ESPN will probably be on and I will try to avoid it because I hear the Mavericks lost by one point in their first game with the thunder... Not good. Also, Im a missionary, and missionaries don't watch ESPN ;)

I LOVE EVERYTHING!!!!!! Sorry this email was boring... My emails have been boring lately huh?


Love,

Elder Paxman

I Love Washington

Family,

So. I love Washington. It's a great place. Most people don't like Yakima but I miss it a lot. When people ask me how I liked Yakima and I tell them I loved it they always ask "really?". Maybe its because I am a missionary and being a missionary somewhere is a completely different kind of life. Some people don't like Cathlamet either. It is a beautiful place but really small. And I love it. I could spend forever out here, I wouldn't mind at all.

I went on exchanges with Elder Peterson on Wednesday. He serves in Longview 2nd. He served in Cathlamet before that. So it was fun for him to come back to his old area for a day. We saw some of the members that he really liked and also investigators. Elder Peterson came out with me. I love exchanges. I've probably said that before. They are just a whole bunch of fun.

I went on another exchange with one of our Zone Leaders yesterday too. Elder Randall. He is going home in three weeks... I love the Zone Leaders area. It's the second time I have been to woodland and I love it. It is a really cool area to be in. And it just so happened that we saw some of the same people that I saw last time I was in Woodland. The Morgans. And the last time they were able to get a hold of them was when I went over there the first time! ALSO, the second counselor in our branch presidency, Brother Hunt, is on a special assignment to our branch. He lives in Woodland but comes to Cathlamet each week to fulfill his calling. And we got to eat with them while I was in town. That was fun.

While we were at Brother Hunt's he told us that our branch president's (President Most) brother-in-law died on Sunday unexpectedly at age 25. They didn't see it coming and the branch is in a little bit of disarray. It should all work out in the end but Sister Most is pretty upset. Sad news.

We had Zone conference on Thursday. That is happy news. President was in town and we learned all about how to be good missionaries. I was going to bring my notes to this computer so that I could tell you what my takeaways were but I forgot them in the car. I'm sorry. But here is what I can remember:

"when we do the Lords work we receive the Lords pay"

We shouldn't worry about whether or not we have the Holy Ghost with us, we should just focus on being worthy.

Catharsis - When we are going through hard times it helps to write down our feelings.

The Holy Ghost works as a testifier. That is why missionaries should back up their companions testimony with theirs when they are in lessons, to mirror what the holy ghost does.

That's all I can remember out of what I wrote down. If there is anything else that is spectacular I will write about it next week.

The Temple was amazing today. I went to the Portland temple for the first time. It is HUGE!! The Colombia River temple is kinda tiny so going to Portland was a difference. I love going to the Temple though. Its a good place to think.

Stan came to church! That went a lot better than I expected too! It was a real good experience for him I think. When he introduced himself in priesthood he said "I'm Stan, I live here in Cathlamet, and I'm having a great time today". Love it. We are going to see him on Thursday. He is making some good progress which I never ever would have guessed...

Francis is the same. Closer and closer to baptism each day. I hope. probably.

Elder Mellies gave a talk on Sunday. He did a great job. It was on the Holy Ghost and he went by the Holy Ghost. He went up with no notes and just talked. To begin his talk he said "I want to sing a song for you" and he sang the first verse and chorus of "The Spirit of God". I didn't know he was a singer. And he technically isn't. But he did a wonderful job. Not your everyday approach but it worked out really well.

I love being a missionary. Everyone should try this. Except you Kristen. you don't need to.

I love everyone.

Elder Paxman

25 Lessons

First of all. P-day will be on Tuesday next week so don't freak out when I don't send an email on Monday.

I don't know what to say... I never do.

Being District Leader is fun. I get to go to meetings and do exchanges and numbers and call people and leadership plan. It's not a whole lot of leadership but it's some! I like it. I was stressed at first but its not bad at all.

We had a really good week this past week. we taught 25 lessons! That is 3 more than I ever taught in Yakima and 7 more than I've ever taught here. It was a very good week. we worked hard. Elder Mellies and I work well together. I'm always trying to find the best way to do things. The way that our mission president and The Lord would want us to. Especially planning and teaching. I want to know how to teach better. Because we taught 25 lessons but we don't have anyone on date! we need to have someone on date... Francis is close. Elder Boothe and I were on exchanges on Tuesday and we taught Francis. Then we went back on Thursday and she had read the first 11 chapters of the Book of Mormon. She cried when we recited the first vision to her which was the first time I had ever seen that and also the first time Elder Boothe had either (and he has been out 22 months). It was a really good lesson both days. I think it was one of the best lessons Elder Boothe has been it. I'm glad we were on exchanges that day. Its kinda tough to continually switch who is teaching but the purpose of exchanges far outweighs the deficits. I would like to think that experience will stick with Elder Boothe as a memory of his mission, but maybe that's too much to ask. I know it will stick with me. She told us the story back about what she read too! the first 11 chapters of 1 Nephi. When it came to Laban she said "God commanded Nephi to kill him, I dunno why. I guess because he was a son of a b---- or something" I couldn't have explained it better hahahaha. It was amazing to see how well she picked everything up. She told us about the tree of life and everything. it was great. We invited her to be baptized but she isn't quite ready yet. She will get there though. I'm confident.

Everyone loves Ron Paul here in Cathlamet... Its different. I hear Santorum dropped out and thats good for Romney. We get a lot of politics here. and not enough sports... everyone is too old. I have no idea whats going on with sports. its killing me.

We officially had the rainiest march ever in the history of Washington this past march. wet

We got two new investigators this week. Sharon and Iris. Both have told us point blank that they will never be Mormons. Promising... Sharon is a strong Catholic. She is related to a lot of members of our branch though. which is to be expected because she has lived in Cathlamet for almost 50 years. She knows a lot of members as well. Iris has met with missionaries before. She is a foster parent so we have some common ground there. She is very very nice. She has a handicap with her legs so she is in a wheelchair. She is an ordained pastor and she preaches at the Episcopal church once a month.

Kyle got kicked out of the McClains because he is a little doof boy sometimes. They got sick of it and kicked him out. I'm not sure how Sam McClain (his girlfriend) is dealing with that. We aren't teaching him anymore though... He is living in Longview, so we will refer the elders there to him if at all possible. Its just as well I guess. He wasn't getting anywhere with the McClains. and he wasn't keeping ANY commitments really. Maybe a change of scenery and missionaries will be good for him.

Chuck went to a Republican's Delegates meeting and he ran into a brother from our ward who is a mitt Romney supporter (chuck supports Ron Paul) and this brother didn't have kind things to say. The Ron Paul supporters kinda got bullied around at the meeting and people were rude to them. So now Chuck has confirmed how he feels about Mormons and is planning on giving us back the Book of Mormon we gave him and he doesn't want anything to do with us... I'm kinda bummed to hear that. We have been giving him time though. We haven't seen him in about a week. We're going back tomorrow. I'm nervous. I hope it goes well.

I don't have much time to write about anyone else. I guess I did know what to say after all

I know the church is true. Leadership is fun. I love the relationships I am forming out here with other missionaries as well as with my Heavenly Father. This is the very best way I could be spending my time right now and I know that. I will be eternally grateful for the time spent on my mission.

Love you all

Elder Paxman

Invitation Sunday Picture

This is an ad Chase put in the paper for invitation Sunday. 

District Leader

Hey there all,

It was a busy busy week.

We did our usual stuff on Tuesday for Elder Crowther. He said goodbye to all those in Cathlamet that he was close to and then we kicked him out the next morning. Elder Mellies got in on Saturday early because he was already in Vancouver but we had to wait for Elder Boothe to come across the mission from Tri-Cities so it took awhile for us to get back to Cathlamet. The car that we used to have, a 2009 Malibu, got retired. Elder Mellies brought his car from his last area and we are using that now, a 2011 Corolla. I like it better than the last one. The Malibu had some issues with it...

On Wednesday they told me I am District Leader. I have a baptismal interview tonight. It should be fun. It was definitely humbling to receive that assignment. My mind frame instantly changed from just my companionship to my whole district. I wonder what they are doing and how they are doing. We had a District Leader Council on Saturday and that helped a lot. It made it easier for me to know my responsibilities and what is expected of my district. I feel a little more prepared now. Basically I get everyone's numbers each week, I do district meetings, I make sure everyone is following the rules, but most importantly I make sure everyone is doing okay and I try to serve them the best I can. That is what I gathered from our DLC. I'm excited for more responsibility. It was a little overwhelming to take over my area after only 6 weeks, and then hear that I'm DL but the Lord has helped me sort it all out in my mind and I am doing better.

Elder Mellies is great. He has had 3 areas and 5 companions whereas I have had 2 areas and 4 companions. We have both been out about 8 months. We came out at the same time. But we didn't know each other in the MTC. He has been in Vancouver his whole mission so he is used to the rain. He is an outgoing guy which I am grateful for. I don't need to do all the talking or anything like that. He has a girlfriend waiting for him. So did Elder Crowther. So did Elder Dutson, but they wrote each other off, Elder Boswell didn't. Elder Boswell is back in my zone though. I got to see him at DLC for the first time in awhile so that was way fun. Elder Mellies has had a few companions that have been tough to deal with. I have been really really lucky so far as far as companions go. I feel like a bad one will be coming my way but I don't really know... Everyone is nice. Elder Mellies just didn't get along with his last two companions.

Easter Sunday was great too! We focused a lot on the resurrection and the Atonement this week with people we visited. It was a good excuse to do that. It was the first Easter for me where I really focused on that. It has always been a good time to be with family and that is a wonderful way to spend Easter but this year it was more than that. It was a big focus on our Savior for me and we tried to bring that spirit into other people's homes. We went to Easter Dinner at the Johnsons and the rest of the day was relatively normal.

I am looking forward to calling home in only one month! I get to Skype everyone!

We saw Kyle three times again this week. He is still in the same spot as he was. We have found that we need to focus more on one thing. We were kinda overwhelming him with commitments. He has a hard time saying no to us but he hasn't been able to follow just about any of the commandments we have taught him so far so we are going to move slower and focus on one thing at a time. Especially because we see him so often so we are running out of material. He is a good kid, we need to move slower for him.

Francis Woods is doing well also. She is our newest investigator. 71 years old. She said she would read the BoM. We gave her one on Thursday. She really thought it was interesting and I think she was genuine when she said she would read. She shows some real promise.

That's all I can think of. I feel like I have a lot more things to worry about now. Cars, exchanges, paperwork, interviews. It's good worries though. I really do feel a difference when I turn to my Heavenly Father for help. I learned a lot about that this week.

Thank you for all your prayers and love.

I love you Kristen.

Love,

Elder Paxman

General Conference

Hello there family,

This week was transfers and I didn't expect anything to happen! But Elder Crowther got transfered... Sad sad day. I'm getting Elder Mellies. He came out with me but he was in a different MTC district so I don't really know him. I'm looking forward to it. It's kinda scary taking over the area after only 6 weeks but it will be fun to get to drive. I will probably be senior companion officially. Its about time! just kidding... but really.

Elder Crowther was sad about leaving too. He wanted to finish his mission in Cathlamet. I don't blame him either. It is way fun here. There is no place like it. Beautiful Wahkaikum county. The work is really picking up too.

Kyle is off date haha. That was quick. We met with him on Tuesday and he told us that he has 5 felonies and is on parole. Not surprising but kinda disappointing. Also, when we taught him and Sam the Law of Chastity they just laughed hahaha. Yeah... that isn't a good sign. So we will keep working with him. He is always way excited to meet with. I love teaching him. Each lesson I know he feels the spirit, now the point is just to get him to do something about it. He needs to move out or get married. Sam's parents don't like Kyle... They don't want her to get married to him. He is a good kid but he is a bum sometimes. He still doesn't have a job and he isn't doing much to find one. He needs to get with it. We are still making progress. You just cant be baptized when you are on parole or probation. He wont be off that until he is 21. which is a year and a half from now. So now we just get to teach him. Hope that takes him somewhere.

I got to watch conference. My favorite was on the first day in the morning. Elder Hallstrom. When he spoke about the church vs the gospel. That answered a lot of specific questions that I had going into conference. I will definitely read that one again. I also liked the rest of them too! Because all GC talks are good. It was a good way to spend 10 hours of my weekend. I feel so motivated and inspired after conference. The trick is to make that last and to be able to feel the same things just as intensely every day. That is hard. Keep reading and praying. And being a good missionary.

President Greer has issued a Book of Mormon challenge to all the missionaries in this mission. When Elder Nelson was here a few weeks ago he made the comment a few different times that the Book of Mormon was translated between April 7 - June 30. That is about 7 pages a day. He translated the whole thing in that short a time. So the challenge to us is to read it in between those days this year. That goes along nicely with a yearly goal that I have for 2012 to read the Book of Mormon 4 times so I think I will accept the challenge. Anyone who wants to back home can do the same thing. It takes me about 30 minutes to read 7 pages (or 3 chapters) from the Book of Mormon. You just have to keep that up every day for a couple months! I'm excited to do that.

Elder Manning got called as a Zone Leader. I don't know how much I talked about him. He is a friend back from Yakima. He was our ride every p-day! I'm way excited for him! Good guy. Elder Boswell is coming to my zone too so I will get to see him again soon!

Time moves so fast... I cant believe it is already April. I really hope I am using the short time that I have wisely. I'm trying my best. Sorry I don't ever write a lot. I wish I could write more for you. Just know that I am very happy. I cant think of any problems that are going on here. I get along with everyone. I'm sure I will get along with Elder Mellies, the transition is just a little hard to start into. I'm safe healthy and I feel like I'm getting fat because we are eating so much.

Love you all. Especially Kristen.

Love,

Elder Paxman