This is going to be a fun themed email because I am quite excited. This week was awesome best week I've had missionary wise post Elder Yates. We taught a lot of lessons had over 100 street contacts for the first time here since April and the area is picking up with 2 count them 2 dates for baptism! One of the dates is for the 14th for a woman named Sister Valenti. She should probably be nominated for one of the coolest people on the planet. She is humble, sincere, funny, and mostly awesome. I'm excited to continue to work with her. This week was really fun. We actually had someone come to church finally. I feel rejuvinated finally I'm working and its paying off. I just hope I don't get transferred in 3 weeks. I want to be here until Christmas. I've worked too hard here to be shipped off just as things began to pick up. Tonight is the Halloween party for one of our wards. I want to have a Superman cape but am debating whether to do it. I'll be talking all night. I may also sing a song. I wrote it as a rip off as one of the church's children songs called "I like to look for Rainbows" mine is called "I like to look for pumpkins. It should be really fun. Last Saturday was a lot of fun. In the morning we helped one of the church members move out. He was going to Utah with his family. He said "Boys this is the piece that needs to go out first". He then directed us to a piano which he explained was 114 years old and 600 lbs made of solid oak. Now there were only 4 guys to move this thing. We got it to the ramp and saw that it was maybe 3 or 4 feet tops wide. I got the glory of being at the bottom of the ramp pushing it up(I was the only one on said ramp). That was the flimsiest sheet of middle i have ever seen. As I heard It creak I thought this is going to fall on my legs and snap off my shins making me 5'7 instead of 6'4. But luckily it held barely. I got to go to a baptism for someone I taught who moved away. His name is Roy and he's 71 years old. It took some effort but he finally held through to the end. Awesome guy hilarious we had a good time with him Saturday. Last night we lit a bonfire for Elder Hunt's 21st birthday. It was funny and hot. I got some really insane pictures. Well thats all I got laterz. Love, Elder K-Wood
Well life is still worth living unless the following scenario happens. You are delightful young Elder for the LDS church serving in Arizona, some other delightful young Elders convince you and your companion to get up at 3:30 an ungodly hour and go for a hike up the Superstition Mountains in the dark. It gets better. The trail you are following is treacherous and its dark. You meander of course. You are now free style rock climbing up a mountain filled with rattlesnakes, turantulas, and of course cactus. And to top it all off you are the only person who has balance problems and is afraid of heights. Put it all together and who is that person! Elder Brandon Caywood. Blech. Thats how my day has been how about yours? Besides that I'm actually not too bad. Last P-Day I got to go to Scottsdale and have ice cream with Brother Gould former member of my home ward and was there at my baptism. He is a ward mission leader in Scottsdale over the Zone Leader's ward. Its really fun to talk to someone as down to earth as he is though I must admit it, it still kind of freaked me out to see someone I knew from home(kind of he lives in the mission now). He was suprised to see how much I cleaned up since the last time he saw which I believe was about April of '08 if I'm not mistakened. Last week wasn't a good week in the source of finding(though we looked!) but we do have some interesting potentials. We are going to the Visitor Center in Mesa with some investigators both tonight and Wednesday. I'm quite excited for it. I have high hopes for each of them. We've been on bikes more in an attempt to get our street contacting up but its been less appealing with the 100 degree weather the past few days. I went on splits with the zone leaders the other day and got to live the life of one for a day. Just hectic. I really hope that I don't have any kind of leadership position in the future because it is just way too chaotic. But I did enjoy the time I had. One of the guys I used to teach is getting baptized on Saturday. He moved farther in the AJ and thus out of my area. But he's set to go. I'm excited to see that! :D Halloween is coming up and I've narrowed down 3 costumes I will wear for the ward Halloween party. Number one I will switch name tags with elder Elder Edmonds and be him for the night Number two I will be a ghost and poke out two eyeholes in a sheet and draw a tie on it and be a ghost missionary or Number three I will get a giant U-Haul box that says free candy on it and when people go to get it I will be inside the box and freak them out. All brilliant ideas but I can't say I'll do any of them. I'm tired and am going to bed for the rest of the day and I must apologize, I forgot my camera cord so thus no pictures this week. Oh well tiwce as many next week then. I bid thee adieu. Love, Elder K-Wood
The art of mooning, it takes skill, talents, and looks. Its tough but certain individuals have been chosen to sneer drop their shorts and show their rear. Why am I talking about this. Well let me tell you why. I was geting my hair cut at the Madsens house and their son Jaron was talking to us. He told us about he wrote an entire college paper on how to moon people and recieved an A for his efforts. The highlight of the story was when Jaron told us that his mom would punish him if he mooned another member of his family. Jaron didn't listened and mooned his sister. His mom punished him by making him go outside and moon the next car that drove by. Jaron didn't want to because the stake president lived across the street. He said he didn't want to because President Harms would see his butt. But there was no escape and he mooned the next car. I laughed forever after that. AMazing. Well this week has been up and down. Our only baptism date dropped us for a dumb reason. Monday we set up a time to see him and then Thursday he said he was offended by the way we shut his front door and didn't want us to ever come back. We were fuming. I got my bike fixed up for a pretty hefty penny. But I've got a new interube adjusted brakes and the shiny body of a pro. Which means I've been riding more and talking to more people. Not much success yet but were trying to double our efforts in talking to people. I received a letter from my dear father Elder Yates. He wrote a beefy one and I was tickled pink to get it. His life seems quite busy but good. Heres a fun story from yesterday. We were at a less active's house and she had a friend over. She looked me over for a second and asked how old I was. I said like 19. She said no offence but you look like your 12. Harsh! I guess never I can never escape that. I won't get to enjoy looking young until I'm like 40 and someone says man you look like your 20 then I will have my day. The missionary efforts here are improving. Each ward is at a different level it seems. ONe of our wards I'm excited about and I believe that it will pick up in that ward very soon! We had a lot of progress last week when we found 3 new investigators. I have high hopes for each of them. One of our greatest weapons will be a Halloween carnival our wards are putting together. I think that will get a lot of people member and non member alike out and about. Well not whole lot to report besides that. Spanish Elders have a 3rd wheel which is strange. I've gained an immense amount of weight and a neat experience. On Sunday I met a Recent Convert who's name is Jack Nicholson. You know like the actor, I asked twice when I asked who was coming to dinner. He's so incredible strongest testimony of the church ever and he's a personal trainer. He gave some tips on how to conquer my excessive weight gain in the past month. Well I better head out. peace out. Love, Elder K-Wood
I think I have a lot of things to write about but honestly I'm not all that sure I will be able to successfully write it all down. But it has been an eventful for week so I'll try to get it all started. Well last Thursday was my 6 month mark as a missionary so Elder Edmonds and I burned several ties. It was a good time and its hard to believe I've been gone for so long. I'm glad I don't look much older though from the beginning of my mission. Though I am putting on the pounds. I'm still over 200 lbs but I've went from eating Chocolate chip waffles every morning to Special K. Which is really really gross just so you know. I feel like a piece of Blubbler freshly severed from the side of a whale. Dag. Friday was how do I say it. An interesting day. We had our weekly planning session which I despise! I hate planning for like 3 hours it stinks. But last Friday was different because we had a an appointment at 1 with someone we were going to set a date with. I turned on the car and it said low tire pressure. To our dismay someone had attempted and succeeded to slash our tires. It took us 45 minutes to call around and get the right tools to replace the tire. We were disheartened because the investigator also wasn't answering his phone. We were now about 45 minutes to a hour behind schedule and still no answer. Right when we got the tire on we recieved a call. I answered "hello" He said " Sorry guys did I miss you", I said "actually no we have a flat and have been kind of stuck out here" He said "really thats weird me too, my tire blew out on the 60 and I just got home I wanted to make sure I didn't miss you". My heart soared. We went over and set a date for baptism on the 24th. If we hadn't had that flat we would of missed him. Conference weekend is truly a double edged sword. Its amazing to hear from the Prophet, the Presidency, and the Apostles. Its very spiritually uplifting and makes you say woah! I said that a couple times this weekend. A couple of the speakers stood out. Elder Holland, President Eyring, and Elder Callister. Awesome. Unfortunately 6 hours of Saturday gone is 6 hours of Saturday gone which is tough. Well today is P-day and transfers. Drumroll please *pitter patter pitter patter* I don't think drums actually make that noise but anyways I'm hear for another 6 weeks. November 17th in the next transfer so more AJ for me. Sadly Elder Thornton is being transferred to Cave Creek to be a district leader. I'll miss him. The only other change is the spanish elders are in a threesome and the zone leaders are no longer a threesome. Well today is a very special day for me. This day two years ago(yes one entire mission comparatively ago) I was baptized. Its really something to think about. Its funny to think that at the end of my mission I will have been a regular member for a year and a half and a missionary for two. Thats kind of neat. I remember reflecting on my baptism a few months ago when I went back to Scottsdale to baptize "Bee". I remember being in the water for the first time since I had been with Brady over a year before. I remember after sitting in the changing room. I was in awe and it hit me. This is what its all about. Changing lives. My purpose as a missionary has never seemed clearer than at that moment. I'm thankful for all the support I've had from everyone over the years. if I was on my own it wouldn't have ever been at this point or had this oppurtunity. Even though I messed up some times. Occasionally hurt people's feelings and may have lossed a few close friends both in and outside the church. The experiences where I've had to grow and the challenges I've had to overcome can never be taken from me and I won't trade them away. I know that Christ lives and He is the Son of God. Till Next week I bid you adieu. Love, Elder K-Wood
