December 29, 2014...2 weeks in Florida. "Come What May and Love it"

Well hey friends and fam. so this last week was christmas so merry christmas haha. skyping was awesome i loved seeing everyone. but after was the darkest time ive had since ive been out. i fell into a deep sadness. I miss everyone so much and it finally hit me that im gonna be gone for two years. the past few days have been really really rough and ive been homesick like crazy. i asked for a blessing and that helped me but i cant seem to stop thinking about home and what everyone is doing and its killing me getting used to not talking to everyone everyday. so i decided that since i cant talk to you guys everyday ill just talk to the man im serving. ive prayed a lot the last few days and i have literally poured my heart out to heavenly father. I am starting to feel alot better and realizing that heavenly father will be there for me and he will be there for everyone whenever we are going through a rough patch. i was trying to get my mind off these bad thoughts so i was watching the restoration movie and joseph smith was talking to emma and he said " perhaps i am meant to swim in deep water, better deep than shallow." and that has really helped me out these last few days. another elder told me a story about an elder that was really homesick and he sent a letter to his dad saying how homesick he was and his dad sent a letter back and all he said was " forget yourself and go to work". everyone thats reading this i want you to know that heavenly father is there for us, he knows us by name and we cannot do this on our own. relying on christ is the way to true happiness. these last few days have been rough as everyone said they would be.....i thought i could just come out here and put the tag on and automatically be a missionary.thats not the case.....we need heavenly father and jesus christ. i know this is sort of depressing but ive been going over a few scrips that ive grown to love and ponder these last few days. Ether 12;27 and Helaman 5;12. whenever youre going through adversity and satan is working on our every weakness read these scriptures they have been a strength to me and they will be one to you also. i love you all and i know this is where i need to be. thank you for the support. one last thing " no matter what youre going through, when you feel you cant take more, think about jesus christ he has been there before". Oh and one last thing we had a family get baptized this past saturday and is was sweet. ill be sending pics seperate. love you all

Elder Armijo

 

My First Week......I'm not sure where to start.

Well hello friends and Fam! What a first week haha im not sure where to start. but my trainers name is elder Pelo hes from Utah. He is a good guy and reminds me a lot of Curt which is a huge plus haha. I prayed for a good trainer and I got one. The first day in our area we had like 5 appointments which was so sick and kinda scary but more sick than scary. The rest of the week went so smooth! Our area is called pine hills but the nickname is "crime hills" cuz its really ghetto lol. We actually don't even live in our area because its too dangerous for us to live there so we live a few miles outside of it in another area that's safer. We work with a lot of LARCs which is a less active recent convert. The ward is really nice and loving but they don't really need baptisms right now they need their members to not be less active haha but that means we are always busy! We always have someone to teach and somewhere to go! And we always get fed! I haven't taken any pics because there's not much to take pics of here but I will start soon! Oh and also we have a family being baptized this Saturday the 27th! We did their baptismal interviews this week and they came to church so they are all set to be baptized. I don't know them that well yet so Elder Pelo is gonna baptize them but im still excited! I love it here and Im anxious for what these next two years have to offer. My testimony is growing stronger everyday and its dope. Also fam ill be skyping at 1pm here so about 11 oclock Arizona time! well theres nothing else really I love you.  Stay Gucci!

Elder Armijo

I made it to Florida....I'm still alive.

hello everyone! so we arrived in Orlando and everything is awesome! the weather is sick and the mission pres is a good guy! i can't email back and forth unfortunately but I am alive obvious an super tired but I'm feeling great! I love you you all and i will speak to you all on monday! love ya guys! Oh and check the blog for pics of me and everyone else! www.floridaorlandomission.com. Talk to ya monday with a report on my first week in the field! 

First Companion.........Elder Pelo

First P-day in the MTC 12/11/2014

Hello Mother! and Hello everyone else who reads this! Man! I don't even know where to begin! Sorry it took so long for my p day to come im not sure what that's about lol.  How is everyone? Man I miss everyone so much I know its only been a week but I've learned so much already and I've never felt this good about something. Mom how are things at home? Tell the boys and Bryant I said wattup . Tell Ciarra i miss her so much ive been thinking about her alot lately and I love her so much even though it never seemed like it. Mom how are you? hows work? I feel like I'm missing so much already haha. This past week has been awesome, tough, annoying, and very very spiritual. I have been faced with things I have never been before and its been one learning experience let me tell you. But the main thing I've learned is my purpose as a missionary which is to help others come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement, repentance,baptism, recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. I have come to really understand that and I love it! I am not here for me, I am here for other people and for Heavenly Father. We have this thing here called TRC investigators and thats like what the elders back home talked about where the MTC hires people to play investigators and the catch is some are already members and some are actual investigators! Me and my comp Elder Palmer got Chad. I wish I could express my love for chad over email haha. He's an athiest and we already invited him to pray and he did! weve had awesome lessons just getting to know him and teaching doctrine to him and I have also learned so much from him and our lessons with him. We also have Christi and long story short We alrady committed her to be baptized! turns out she was already a member but we didnt know that while we were teaching lol. But everything is good. I love my district and my companion there are already life time friends. IM SO excited to get to Orlando already! well i guess thats it for now the mtc is just a lot of learning so nothing really interesting besides what I just told you lol.  I haven't been sad or upset or homesick once! tired yes, but none of that other stuff! I'm sincerely doing awesome hahah Id tell you if I hated it and I dont at all I love the guys and eveyrone here its so awesome my testimony has grown so much in just this week its crazy. I've taught things I didnt even know I knew and I know it was the spirit teaching.  Well, I have to go now.  I fly out Monday.

I'm actually the" travel leader" so I'm in charge of all the missionaries in the mtc going to Orlando that day so there's about 15 I think.  So, I'll talk to you monday at the airport keep sending me Dear Elders and thanks for everything momma tell everyone i love them! i miss you mom ill admit it ;-) ill talk to you on Monday!

Love Elder Armijo

Setting apart, Packing and ..........The Airport...Saying goodbye 12/3/2014

Ammon and Nate's Open House/Send off 12/1/2014