Great Week!!!

This past week we went to a newly organized singles branch out here, man I loved it! We have been teaching a lot and trying to come up with some new lessons. We made a new lesson about Satan. We used old ties and tied kids up to a chair and taught them how Satan binds us and we can not move, it is a really fun lesson.

As far as Jason, no he is not getting baptized this week. We have to push it back because he says it still is too fast. It was a little disappointing at first, but then I remembered this is Heavenly Father's work and it will go forward, so with that being said we have 2 other baptisms this week! We are very excited!!! There is a 9 year old boy named Derek Pyper, he is an awesome kid who is very excited about getting baptized. Then there is a 14 year old boy named Ryan Garcia. I love teaching him because we can relate the experiences Joseph Smith had at his age and he really embraces it!!! I will definitely send pictures!

Brad asked Jake, "Why do you think we read over and over again in the Book of Mormon to remember how merciful God has been to the children of men?" This is what Jake said, "I think in order to remember how Heavenly Father has been so merciful we need to be able to see it in others lives so that we will then in turn be able to see it in our own lives. I really have learned that Heavenly Father doesn't give just one person an experience he gives it to everybody, it just depends on who wants to learn from it. I agree with "we have to choose to live in Zion." In the movie The Work and The Glory, Mama Steed says that her Zion is with her family, living the Gospel, that truly is the Zion we all are looking for. It's up to us to make that Zion."

I hope that makes some sense.

Well I have to go for this week. I can't wait to hear from you again, I look forward to this every

week!!! It helps give me a boost of energy!!!

xoxoxo
E Sawyer

Mission Conference

Jake sent this picture of all the missionaries in his mission. I wish he would have told us something about the conference...maybe next e-mail.

Feeling Better

I'm feeling a lot better this week! I am so sick of being sick! haha

Jake and his companion Elder O have been teaching Jake's friend Jason. They have set a baptismal date with him for the 19th of December. Jake is extremely excited and says this about it. "I do know that the Spirit is the one that has done a lot of the work for Jason. The Spirit truly prepares people for the Gospel. I love to be able to see the change in people when they realize that they are missing something, but they can't put their finger on it. I love it when I am in someone's home and they say, 'I am just looking for something I just don't know what, but I need something else in my life.' Shazaam...that's when we know that the Lord has truly prepared them for us to be there at that exact moment!"

Please send my love to the Dad's ward.

I love you all so much and am grateful for everything you do for me and I don't even realize it!

Thank you for everything you have done!

xoxoxoxo
E Sawyer

One Sick Elder

Jake had a very tough week last week. He was taken to the hospital last Monday after he fainted in his home. He had a fever of 104 and was very sick! The doctors still aren't sure exactly what he has other than a viral infection that has affected his liver. They are also treating him for the Swine Flu. The test that we are waiting for now is to see if he has also contracted the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. I just couldn't believe it when the Dr. told me that, the test results for that won't be back for about a week. So Jake is being released tomorrow with a lot of antibotics and has to take it very easy for a few days. He certainly was one very sick kid. We feel very blessed that he has gotten better so quickly. Thank you everyone for your many thoughts and prayers on his behalf.

The District: Elder Ozorio (Jake's Comp.) is is giving him a big hug! Elder Bland (Jake's first Comp,) Elder Callison ZL, Elder Merrill ZL, Elder Shields, Elder Kafoa, and Elder ?

...sorry I forgot his name.

Jake's Comp Elder Ozorio, The Zone Leaders...Elder Callison,

Elder Merrill and of course Elder Sawyer.

Happy Thanksgiving

The work is going good, slow, but oh well. I really hope things pick up! Elder Oz is a very hard worker, and were are trying to get more work. One really nerve-racking thing...this Saturday we have 2 baptisms, and at one of them Elder Cook is going to be there. We have to teach a lesson on the Restoration while they are changing after the actual baptism. So please a prayer on our behalf would be great! I am very nervous!

This week I was able to teach the 1st discussion at President Karras's house. It was really great. There were a lot of people there that we used to live by, but of course I had no

idea who they were! haha Dad thank you for your help on the question of life during the Second Coming today in my personal study I was directed to read in the 88th section of the Doctrine & Covenants which was amazing it really spelled out a lot for me

and answered so much! So thank you!

For Thanksgiving this week we are going to go see a bunch of families. We are also able to watch Disney movies. So Elder Oz and I are collecting movies that we can watch, and

I am really excited about that!

Sounds like another great week for FHE. I really miss those guys up there! I think about them all the time. You will have to tell everyone I said Hi, and that I send my love. They are a great ward and I am constantly trying to find great people out here that may be able to go up there and meet the great people

I have come to love!

Thank you so much for everything that you're doing for I really appreciate it!! You are always doing so much for me that I don;t even realize...so thank you, thank you, thank you

I love you so much! I hope everyone is

doing well please send my love!

xoxo

E Sawyer

A New Area

Well I got transferred last week, and yes I am in Grandma and Grandpa's stake. So it is legal to see them! hahaha I just can't see them a lot because I need to stay focused. Also Pres. Smith (from Bonneville Seminary) is one of the Stake Presidents.

As far as being this close to home, it's not hard...for the most part...I just joke with people that I don't have to ask my parents how the weather is, because I'm in it too! This past week has been long, but very good. I have learned so much. I have come to realize that I cannot lean on others like I used too. I need to gain my own standing in the church and I need to do it for myself. The people here are great. I always thought you had to go far to meet investigators of the

church, but I realized that they are in our backyard.

My comp is Elder Ozorio from Brazil, and he goes home in 32 days. He is a great comp, I really do love him, we do have a car it's a old Sebring. Elder Ozorio can't drive he doesn't have a drivers license, so I get to do all the driving. Woot Woot!

We just baptized 2 people last week. Jorge and Matt, they are both older guys that truly have a deep testimony for themselves. We have a ton of gators, but a few with dates are: Alicia, her father Derek, and a boy named Dax. So far everything is great with them! We have more I just can't remember their names. We also have a ton of potential! I can't wait to meet these people and start to give them the knowledge they are looking for!

P.S. I saw Grandpa in the temple this morning!! HaHa :)

I love you all!!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Elder Sawyer

Soda Springs Area

The Soda Springs Geyser. It was discovered back in the 1800's. It started throwing off the timing of Old Faithful, so they were asked to cap it off. Instead they put a man made

timer on it to go off every hour.

Pretty Cool!

Elder Bland's tie. Can you believe how wide that thing is???

The McKinley family from Soda Springs. They are a great family. Katy, Mia, a neighbor girl, Forrest and me.

Elder Bland and I on Halloween. (we had to be in at 7:00)
Don't you just love our costumes?
Look at the name tags!!! :)

An Amazing Week!!!

This past week has been really awesome!!! We had 3 baptisms. Noah Jordan, Brynn Conner and Tyler Lester, they are amazing. Granted Elder Bland and I didn't do the actual baptizing, but we were the witnesses and it was amazing. You could truly see the light of Christ turn into the gift of the Holy Ghost, it's amazing I only wish I would have known how important it was when I was their age.

We have this family that we have been teaching the Pelzer's. They moved from Maryland to find God. They don't know why they're here but they are!

Here is the family web!

Richard and Joyce (grandma and grandpa)

Rich and Nova (son and wife, also a step mom)

Brooke (Nova's daughter, different father than Rich)

Rich and Chasity (Rich's son, Chasity is his girlfriend)

I hope that makes sense, but we have already been teaching Rich and Chasity, but they invited their grandparents and parents to met with us. So last week we were teaching Joyce and Richard, it was the first discussion and I committed Joyce and Richard to baptism on the 28th of this month!!! That was my first one, and I was so excited that they said YES!!! I can't describe the spirit I felt when I was just talking about the importance of baptism and how we all need to be baptized with the true and right authority. IT WAS AWESOME!!! Tonight we are meeting with them again and we are going to commit everybody else, so please pray for us!! Tonight at 5:30pm!!! WOOT WOOT!!! We also have Carrie, Noah's mom committed for the 28th of this month. The a 10 year old boy named Josh Gittens committed for the 7th of Dec. Cool Huh!!!

Tomorrow I am going to be transfered. I'm not sure if it is Kanesville or Kaysville. My new com is Elder Ozoreo, he is from Brazil. I will meet him tomorrow. I am really excited.

I love the work and I am doing great. I love the spirit that I am feeling. It is amazing!!! I love you all and hope you are having a great week.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Elder Sawyer

So many appointments...

Well, the work is going well, Noah and Carrie ended up not being able to be baptized because they didn't complete the requirements of going to church last week. They didn't go because of the Swine Flu that everybody up here has, so that was disappointing. We did however set up an interview with Noah tonight, he will be baptized Saturday. Carrie however, will be baptized on the 28th of this month.

We went to give Tyler the 14 year old his baptismal interview and he wasn't there so we called him and he was up hunting...:( So we had to set up another time for today! Hopefully he will keep this one! As far as Cathy and James they did get their job so thank you so much for everything you have done in their behalf. They will be moving as soon as they can get the money to go down there. They are a great family. I just pray that they realize the hand of the Lord in their lives! Last night we went to Mike and Cami's. He answered the door and while we were talking to them both Mike said he wanted to be baptized so we set up an appointment to teach him and their daughters for this Wednesday. But as soon as Cami answered the door this dog came running out and started trying to bite Elder Bland and I, but Mike quickly tackled him and we were saved from the BEAST! haha Yeah Mike is a Jehovah's Witness, but not for long! Muhahaha

We have spoken in church once and it was another farewell experience. Elder Bland left me with 5 minutes. Oh well. I was asked to speak on the importance of listening to our prophets and local leaders. Last Sunday we taught the Young Women of the 4th ward about how to invite a friend to meet with us. It was really fun! We are working with 2 Stakes: The Soda Springs Stake and The Grace Stake. There are a total of about 20 wards or so. It's so far apart that it makes it hard to get to appointments on time and that really drives me crazy!

As far as my food fears, they have been tested that's for sure! I had Elk soup last night. Then we had moose, and the most horrible thing I've had to choke down while I have been here is...ready for this...About a week ago a family just sat this plate in front of me, and it was smoked trout..people I HATE FISH and it was horrible! Heavenly Father really has a sense of humor to sit and watch me eat that!

I love this work! I love the people I am able to teach and get to know! It's a friendship on such a different level than anything else I have ever done, I love it. I look forward to your letters!! Thank you so much for everything you do for me continually.

Love
Elder Sawyer

Shotgun Experience...

Well last night we were talking to a non-member about the after life, because he wanted to know what happened. We told him everything we knew, he said "wait here, I'll be right back. So when he came back he held a shotgun to our faces and said, "So do you really believe all of that?" It was weird because as calmly as ever we just said, "Yes." So after that he said, "if you really want to meet your maker I can make that happen, if you don't get off my property now!! So we RAN!!! Gotta love the hunters. Everybody up here has a gun on their hip so its quite normal to have someone answer the door with a gun!

We do have 3 baptisms this week! Noah and Carrie (mother and son), also another kid named Tyler. They are going to be baptized on Saturday. That will be really sweet! Love to everyone.

Elder Sawyer...

We are so excited to let everyone know that Elder Sawyer is back on his mission. We are so proud of Jake and want to thank everyone for their encouragement, kind words and prayers on his behalf. Elder Sawyer is serving in Soda Springs, Idaho while waitng for reassignment. As soon as he is reassigned we will post it here. We will also post some of his experiences he is having while serving in Idaho.

"We have been teaching a ton, Friday we had a baptism of a family of three they are so amazing, (McKinley Family). It's been great to visit with them and get to know them! Also we had a lesson with another family (Noah, Carrie, Larry and Barry) it's very different from Ogden, everybody and I mean everybody up here has 2 or even 3 jobs. The principle of the Elementary is also the shoe lady at the bowling alley and also the checker at the store! Things are very tight for people up here. Noah and his family are planning on getting baptized on Halloween and we have a lot more investigators. My favorite is Cami and Mike Thompson, they have 2 daughters, Reagan 9 and I forget the other ones name but she is thirteen. Cami is a less active member and Mike is a Jehovah's Witness. The first night we met they had us come right in and they fed us. They are an Awesome family!!! This past weekend was Stake Conference, Elder Garff came with his wife, they gave amazing messages on building family and marriage strength! I Loved it! Tell everyone else I say Hi and I love you all!!"