Weekly Update - Dec 20, 2006

Here you go! Two weeks worth of updates and now I'm finally back on track!!!

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!!!

Dec. 20^th, 2006
Well, guess what!? This last week was awesome! Even though it was my companion's last week (he leaves me tomorrow), I still managed to keep him working a bit. And the Lord is truly blessing us for it! You may remember reading a few updates ago that we were teaching a one "Emily." She's the twelve year-old. Well, we challenged here for baptism and she accepted!!! It will be so special for her! She'll also be able to be sealed to her family for time and eternity. They will be able to be together forever! How special that is. And to think that God has made that blessing available to all of us is so neat. Just one example of God's love for us. Emily's baptism will be on December 28^th! I can't wait to be there for it!

This transfer, we didn't have interviews with the President. Instead, we had a little fireside-ish thing with him and his wife. We met at the Church building that I meet at on Sundays and started out with a breakfast that President and Sister Hacking (and a few volunteers) cooked for us. They cooked Waffles and German Pancakes (mmm… German Pancakes made me feel a little bit closer to home. My family had that after church almost every Sunday for a long while) and there were a few other things there too. It was tasty.

Then, we'd all been asked to bring a white elephant gift to exchange and we played that. It was a lot of fun. I had a deck of Phase 10 cards snatched from me and I never got it back. When I went to pick my next gift after getting mine stolen, I was absolutely surprised at what I got. It was a ream of Paper!!! That's right! 500 pages of printer paper! What am I gonna do with 500 pages of printer paper?! Nothing, that's what!!! So I traded it for the gift President Hacking got stuck with… I little pooping deer. Yup. You read right, a little, toy deer that poops out little jellybeans (President was trying super-hard to get rid of it!)… Who brought these gifts anyways?! *laughs* I mean, honestly, I brought snakes and ladders which Sister Hacking wound up with. But… a ream of paper and a pooping deer??? Oh well. I laughed the whole time and it'll be a good story to remember and tell later.

After the white elephant game, we all went into the chapel and watched a Christmas themed mission video that someone (probably the A.P.s) prepared for all the missionaries of the Missouri, Independence Mission. It was nice. So, watch for that at home in the coming weeks Mom, okay? Then President Hacking shared some Christmas memories with us and then asked us if we had any that we wanted to share. I shared a Christmas story that happened only a few years ago, while we lived in Arizona (2005?).

My Dad had always wanted a roller-top desk, but never got himself one. He always gave to the family and put us first. Looking back, I can see that sometimes putting us first, meant putting his desires to the side.

  My Mom loves my Dad with all her heart. And all of us (her children) too. Well, one year, my Mom found a magnificent roller-top desk and got it for my dad. But this would prove to be a little tricky surprising him with for a few reasons:

1)       It was big!

2)       She got the desk for him in August!!! So we were just a few months out 'til Christmas…

3)       We had nowhere to really hide this monster piece of furniture except in the garage. And that was a big mess!

4)       It was big!

5)       Our van was too small to fit this thing in to move from one place to another.

6)       And last but not least this thing was big!!!

But my mom (as clever as she is) figured all that stuff out. She managed to hide it at a friend's house and then move it to our garage where she had cleared a spot for it so it would look like it was just a stack of boxes. And then, the best part of all. The surprise.

  It was Christmas Eve. And my Mom stayed awake long enough to wait 'til Dad had finished putting out extra surprise gifts for the kids. And my brother and I stayed up too. Then, once Dad was fast asleep, we called some friends and we all moved the Giant roller-top desk into the front room where Dad had left his stocking. Then, we covered it with a big comforter and anxiously waited for the time that we'd all get up for Presents in the morning…

  My Mother, my brother and me all hurried downstairs and waited for Dad… And to see his face- his surprise as he came around the corner and saw that there was a huge SOMETHING where his stocking had been… You should have seen the look on his face when he pulled away the comforter and saw a roller-top desk sitting there. He looked like a school boy. He was so happy and excited!!!

  …I love that Christmas memory! As I shared it with all the other missionaries and as I'm sharing it now, I was (and am) brought to tears at the thought of making someone I love so much that happy. Making that Christmas a special one.
 
After sharing our Christmas stories, President Hacking encouraged us to make this Christmas a special one. And I plan to. We're going to do something special for families in need. I'm thinking of Cammie. Her heart is so big, but I know that she could use a little love and help this Christmas. So we're going to do something special for her and others on Christmas Day. I'm excited for that.
 
I would encourage each of you to make this Christmas a "roller-top Christmas." A Christmas that you MAKE special by doing something for someone else or giving of yourself. I promise you that if you do, you will have many cherished memories of Christmas that will last you a lifetime.

I love my family so much! And I am super-jazzed to be talking to them next Monday!!! I can hardly wait!!!

Take care, all of you! Have a very Merry Christmas! Make memories that will love and cherish throughout your lives. Give of yourself like Jesus did. Make Him the center of this Christmas by making others the focus of yours.
 
Merry Christmas!!!

Your Son, Brother and Friend;
   ~Elder Garn Mosiah Penrod

 
Dec. 13^th, 2006
  So yesterday was my 14 month mark! It really doesn't feel like all that long ago that I was at my year mark and look now. Good heavens! Time sure does fly when you're having fun.
 
Okay, so we're down to crunch time for my companion now. He goes home next week and I can see that keeping him going will be tricky. But he's got a good head on his shoulders (even if it is half way home already) and I don't think he'll be too opposed to anything I suggest, as long as I take the initiative to DO it.
 
I haven't written many of you for a while and I want you all to know that it's not that I don't care. I've just been juggling a lot lately. Too much in fact. So much, that I'd lost track of my priorities. It's amazing some of the tricks that Satan will use to keep us from our full potential. Little by little he'll get you to spend all your time on something worthwhile, to keep you from something better or more important. And then, before you know it, you're spending all this time and effort on these little and ultimately inconsequential things that you no longer "have the time" to do the really important things anymore. Until you finally get a slap in the face and you take a step back and realize what's happened. You've let your priorities get all out of whack. And that's what's happened to me. I have let my priorities get all messed up. I'd forgotten the following lesson. Let me use an example I've heard before to explain:
 
Imagine a large, clear pitcher. Now, you have a few large stones, a handful of little pebbles and a bag of sand that you want to fit in your pitcher. How would you get it all in there? If you started by emptying the sand and dumping the pebbles into your pitcher, then there wouldn't be enough room for the stones. But, if you placed the stones in the pitcher first, and then the put in the pebbles, and then poured in the sand, you'd have enough room for everything because everything is in its proper order and would just fall into place.
 
So it is with out lives. If the pitcher represented you and the space inside it represented the time that you have to spend, then how could you fit everything in? By putting the important things (represented by the large stones) first. That would be God, your Family, Work, and School. Then, the other things that are also important (but ultimately secondary) come next. These are your pebbles. Your friends, your playtime, etc. The sand is everything else. And like in this example, it will fill in the gaps and just fall into place… IF we've already placed those other things before it. Otherwise, the small things will take up all our time and we'll have pushed the Large Stones (the important things) out of our pitchers (our lives). This is what's happened to me. Over the last 4½ months. And I am changing that.
 
These last few weeks have been kind of a reset for me. A chance to step back and realize what I need to do and start doing it. And I have been. I am looking forward to being back in the right mindset of priorities. When that's all clear in your head, everything else just falls into place. And so this week, I invite all who are reading this, old or young, man or woman, missionary or not, to evaluate your lives and see if somewhere along the line you've displaced the stones from your pitchers. And make the effort to put everything in order if you have. And if you haven't displaced those stones, then stay true to your course. It is always far easier to adjust a plotted course then completely modify or change it.
 
I love you all. Know that I am praying for you and that I am thinking of you this holiday season.
 
Thank you for all your prayers and support. I know that I wouldn't be handling all of this nearly as well without them.
 
Your Son, Brother and Friend:
  ~Elder Garn Mosiah Penrod

Weakly update - Dec 7th, 2006

Alright. This is to let everyone know that I'm not dead. I'm going to start writing this week's update now (AFTER sending this) instead of trying to send it all at once because that's not been working. And it's resulted in two months of no updates! (Yikes) They have, indeed, been: "Weakly". Sorry 'bout that.

December 7^th, 2006
  Okay, wow! So here it is. My "Weakly Update" (yes, I did that on purpose).

  Remember last week's update? How I kind of went off about the weak-sauce winter we're having here so far? …Yeah, well, almost as if on que, there were two days in a row last week that the snow just came pouring down! It was beautiful to see all the world around me covered in clean, white snow. I enjoyed being surrounded by that. Not-so-much walking in it while it was still snowing. This was largely due to the fact that it was blowing into our faces which soon became numb from the cold. But it's okay. No biggie. Oh! There's also a joke between me and my companion that I might pull a "number 4". It's #4 because I've already done it three times already… in one day!!! Done what, you ask? Slipped on the ice because of my weak, recovering leg muscle, that's what! But it's okay. It's been giving us something to laugh about for a while, so I'm okay with it happening… even THREE times in a day! *smile*

  So, last night we had to go out in the freezing cold of the night because someone pulled the fire alarm on our building. Luckily, there was no fire, but we did find out that it was a drunk guy who'd pulled the alarm that was not only on our side of the building but he also pulled two on the back of our building too (stupid drunk people!). I have no idea why he did it. I just know that I got to give the report to the cops and firemen.

  Anyways. This week, Cammie Haumschilt came to church! I was so glad to see her there. That's an act of faith on her part and I know the Lord will bless her for it! I also know that it will help the situation with her home and family. She's making great progress and I know that her example will make a difference in the home where she lives and on her two boys. They're also reading as a family! That's wonderful!!! Jessie (sp?) is even reading the Book of Mormon on his own! He likes it and I think he's learning a lot from it.

  Emily (the 12 year-old Dunham girl) is doing well too. She taught US the plan of salvation this last Sunday. And did a very good job! We taught it to her and then, when we met with her again, we told her to practice it and then teach it back to us and that's just what she did. I love how the Gospel of Jesus Christ is simple enough that even a young person (or even ME for that matter) can understand and even teach it. That's wonderful to me!

  We have such a good ward here! They are so willing to help with whatever we need. They come and help us teach, they give us rides, they feed us… I am truly blessed to be a part of the ward here. There were two people getting ready to leave on their missions. Jimmy Sweeny and Spancer Mullen. Jimmy's already gone and Spencer leaves next wednesday. It's great to see them prepare. They've been so willing to come out with us to district meetings and "team-ups" and help us teach the gospel and give us rides and things like that. They are two great young men who will  be great missionaries, I'm sure. Also, along the lines of getting ready for missions, Kody Jensen and Tyler Case (from the Park Hill ward in Derby) have received their mission calls! They start in January if I remember correctly.I'm so excited for them!

  Well, I'm going to get this update off and away so that everyone knows that I'm not dead (and I'm not).

  Thank you all very much for all you do. I've been coping and dealing with some things for a while now, but I'm certainly learning and growing becuase of it. I guess I'm saying that it might be slow, but I'm making progress. That's for sure.

  I can't believe that it's almost Christmas again! That means I get to call home and talk to everyone!!! YAY!!!

  Take Care everyone!

  Your Son, Brother and Friend:
   ~Elder Garn Mosiah Penrod

November 30^th, 2006
  Okay, this update is LONG overdue. I can't even remember the last one I wrote. So, now I will attempt to bring you all up to speed with all (or most) of what's been going on here in the lovely land of Olathe, Kansas. 

-Weather
  It's looking more and more like this winter will be another rehash of last winter. Weak and short.

  When I first started my mission, I was bombarded with remarks of how the winter was going to be "a nightmare" and the "coldest thing ever." With all this hype around me I was expecting and preparing for the worst. And what did I get?! Probably the saddest excuse for a winter I've ever experienced. The warm weather lasted well into November and it only snowed two or three times where I was (Belton, MO). And only one of those two or three times kept us indoors. So, over all, I was pretty let down. And this winter's looking on course to be just the same, if not milder.

  Now, don't get me wrong, I don't mind the winter being this way. I'm just saying that I was expecting a lot more, that's all.

  Note: Actually, today (Nov. 29th) was the first sign of something winter-ish. It sleeted and snowed today. The roads needed to be iced and everything. So, we'll see how the rest of this winter turns out. Maybe I'm destined to eat my words, I don't know. But we'll see. This should be exciting.

-Health

  My health has held up very well. I've been very blessed to have been able to maintain it fairly easily. I've only had the stomach flu recently and even that lasted only an evening and a night instead of 24+ hours like it has for some other missionaries and for me in the past (the ONE other time I've had the stomach flu. I was FOURTEEN then! Seven years ago!!!).

  To my dear mom (and anyone else who's wondering): No, I'm still not fat. I'm a healthy and slim 184-ish lbs. I came out a little over 176 lbs. and my weight goes up and down (like it's supposed to) between 178 and 188. So, I'm no fatty-mc-fat-fat! Don't worry. (Just in case you were worrying before *smile*)

  I'm currently walking with a limp due to large bruise on the muscle just above my right knee. I've had it for six days now, but it's getting better. It doesn't hurt too bad and its not black or blue or discolored at all. It's just sore when I move it too far after it's been still in one position for a while. I expect it to be gone by Sunday. Either that, or I can expect to limp around like a hobgoblin for the rest of my life... (And as much fun as that sounds, I think I'll opt for the "healed by Sunday" option). You're all probably wondering what in the world happened to my leg that I'd be limping like a hobgoblin for a week in the first place. And if you're not wondering, then too bad! You're going to hear the story anyways! (So just deal with it! *wink* )

  I can answer most of what happened with two words: "Turkey Bowl"... Now, I know that for some of you, that's more than enough explanation. For those of you that are still left in the dark, I'll elaborate. Turkey Bowl is that time of year when men and boys everywhere actually get up early voluntarily and go and act all tough while throwing a football around at the local junior high's open field. Incidentally enough, this "time of year" happens every Thanksgiving; hence: "Turkey Bowl." And although we weren't playing tackle, I still managed to hit someone who was about three times my size. The other guy was actually another missionary. His name's Elder Dessau (sp?) (pronounced: "d'sow"). He's a 6'8" 300 pound black guy!!! And I ran right into him on accident. I was rushing the quarterback and he crossed in front of me to block me and his knee, apparently, lined up perfectly with the muscle above mine. It floored me pretty quick. But I was up and about with "just a sore" and I played the rest of the game with ease. But when I sat down for the meal... and didn't move... for a while... are you getting the picture? That's right; my leg muscles got all tight and it became very difficult to move. So much so, that at the end of the day I was literally CRAWLING up a flight of stairs because it was quicker (and less painful) to do it that way. Haha!!! So that was pretty funny. I laughed.

  But again, not to worry. Like I said, it's gotten better each day since then. So, I'll be good to go before long.

-Recent Events and Happenings

  Well, as you read above, we did celebrate Thanksgiving last week. We ate a great meal at the Doan's home. I love that family! We've been to their house once a week (with just a few exceptions) since I've been here! That's almost four months! Anyways. While at their house and waiting to eat, I taught their 11 (?) year-old girl how to catch a football. She got pretty dang good at it too. Throwing the ball with her made me think of how I wanted to spend time with my own kids when that time comes. It also made me think of my family and how I wished that I'd spent more time with them instead of always being so ready to leave and go do something else all the time. Because they're still there. With all the moves we've been through, with all my friends and experiences and failures... They are the ones who were always there (whether I wanted them to be or not.) So were certain friends at certain times in my life (and some of them are still there), but my family was always a constant. So, to anyone that's reading this, I would invite you to think of your family. Whoever they might be; because I know that "family" can be different people then father, mother, sister, brother to some. So, whomever your family is, think of how you treat them and the kind of TIME you spend with them. And I would invite each of you to evaluate the time you do spend with them and MAKE more time for them if you need to. Because I can promise you, that that time is the most well-invested, most valuable thing you can give them. And they will remember the TIME you spent with them more than anything else. I know I do. So, Thanksgiving was good.

  Christmas is coming soon. It's right around the corner and that means it's time to bring out the Christmas tree!!! The first tree of the holiday season that I had anything to do with was at the Hansen's home on the day after Thanksgiving. We went over for dinner and after we ate, we brought out their tree and set it up. We put lights and ornaments on it and we all wore Santa Clause hats while we did it. Except for me. I wore little antlers. And I'm sure that some of you won't really be surprised to hear that either. It was a lot of fun.

  Throughout the night (I guess because I was wearing the antlers) I was a target for the youngest boy (Caleb - sp?) in the Hansen's home. He had a nerf-like crossbow that he shot me with every 12 seconds. He even got my companion to do it a few times! If you ask me, that's a pretty motivated 7 year-old. It didn't bother me one bit. I actually had a good time making it something fun for him (Caleb, I mean. Not my companion *smile*).

  There's another Chirstmas tree that I setup just yesterday (Nov. 28th). It was ours! It actually doesn't look bad at all. I like it.

  So, the playstation 3 came out about two weeks ago. Why do I mention this? Because there were two members of my ward (Bro. Doan and Bro. Broyles) who got one (Two, in bro. Doan's case). Do you want to know how they got one? I'll tell you. They took two days off work and sat in Walmart to make sure that they would get one of the eight (that's right! only eight!!!) that that Walmart would be getting. That's how they got them! Crazy, huh?! Now, why do I bring this up in the first place? Because I totally would have been one of those guys! Taking time off work and waiting in line for two days to get one. Why?! Because a playstation 3 was/is selling on Ebay for thousands of dollars!!! Meaning that one sold for $10,000 on ebay!!! That's why! But nope, I'm a missionary right now, so I had no such option. But that's okay. I'll be around for Playstation 4 (if they make one... and they probably will).

  I also didn't get to do the traditional go-out-the-morning-after-Thanksgiving-to-get-all-the-crazy-good-early-bird-sales that I always do every year either. But, like I said: I'm okay with that. I'll be around next year.

  I mentioned setting up a Christmas tree at the Hansen family's home earlier. Well, something else that happened the same night we did that was super-cool! Bro. Hansen played Christmas songs on the piano. He improvised a lot of the music and I sang with him and for a few of the songs, Sister Hansen sang with us. While I sang with him, I also improvised some of the melodies and harmonies. Before long, his eldest daughter (16 years old), Kimberly, was improvising with us on her violin. (Ready for the cliché

 phrase?!) "We made some beautiful music together." It was wonderful! I love music!!! It was such a treat to just be a part of that. I was reminded of home and the annual Penrodian Christmas parties that our family has each Christmas. We always sing a song as a family for our guests and I'm looking forward to doing that with my family again next year.

-Missionary Related Stuff

  Wow. So, how do I sum up a month's worth of missionary experiences and challenges and triumphs and let-downs in a reasonable amount of time?! I don't even know. So, I'll just start typing and hope for the best. So, here we go...

  So, we had Zone Conference last week and it was really good. We learned a lot about Faith and Action. How they go hand in hand. Faith is very much a principle of action. It moves us to take physical and\or mental action. I love that concept. And it's so curious how it's always the simple things that are so easily forgotten. At least, that's the way it is for me. I seem to forget that faith is a principle of action all the time. But I know that when I try a little harder to show my beliefs through my actions that I do a lot better. I feel more complete and accomplished inside.

  I am still here in Olathe, KS. I've had some requests for my mailing address, so here it is:

Direct address:

549 N. Somerset Terr. #11
Olathe , KS 66062

Mission Home (if you're ever not sure where to mail something, mail it here. It gets forwarded to me):

517 Walnut Dr.
Independence , MO 64050

I've been here (Olathe) for almost four months now and on my mission for almost 14!!! The time is flying by so fast it's not even funny!!! I'm currently serving with a one elder Frampton. And for anyone who's wondering; no, there's no relation to "Peter." I guess "Peter Frampton" is an old, famous guitar player. And my companion hears that joke a lot; "Any relation to Peter?" Anyways, elder Frampton is going home on December 22nd, a week earlier than when this transfer is supposed to end. And right before Christmas too! He'll be happy to be with his family and I'm sure they'll be glad to have him there for the holidays (but that's just my guess). Now, if anyone remembers that last transfer I served with elder Lewis who also went home after serving with me, you might understand why I'm being called "killer". Because this will be the third missionary in a row that I've "killed off." (I'm counting elder Downard, even though he's technically an "assist" because he went home the transfer after he served with me. But, he still counts! He was ready to go home!) And then there was elder Lokey a while back who was probably the most focused of the dying missionaries I've been around so far. I need to make sure that I remember some of the lessons and examples he showed me while I served with him his last transfer. And do those things when I'm getting ready to go home. Because I know if I do, that I'll be doing that which is pleasing to the Lord. But I've still got a while until then.

People we're teaching: Well, there's been quite a bit of finding, teaching and dropping that's been going on here. But, in the interest of time, I'll only share who we're teaching now.

 

-     The Dunham Family. Well, actually, just their 12 year-old daughter. But they were less-active for a while (they weren't coming to church), so this is good for the whole family. She's been praying about baptism and I hope that she's been doing that for real and not just saying she is. I'm sure she is though.

-     The Walker Family. The father is the only member and he hasn't been to church in a while. But he came to the first part of church (Sacrament Meeting) this last Sunday and brought his two kids. I was so excited to see them there! Hopefully we'll see them again next week (Dec. 3^rd). *crosses fingers*

-     The Haumschilt Family. Holy Cow! What a good family. And how much they need to live the Gospel! This is another Part Member Family (Yup. That's all we're really working with right now. And I love them all!!!). It is a mom (Cammie) and her two boys, Jessie (sp?) and Jamie. 16 and 15, respectively. They are going to start reading and praying as a family. I know that will help them as a family so much. I believe the saying: "A family that prays together, stays together" to be true with all my heart! So, I'm excited to hear how that works for them.

So there you have it. A quick catch up of what's been going on here with me. I have to wrap this up. As it is, I don't think I'll be able to get this off this week. But I will next week!

Take care, all of you!

I love you and thank you for all that you do for me. I'm grateful for all your prayers and support. I need them terribly!!!

Your Son, Brother and Friend:
  ~Elder Garn Mosiah Penrod