Monday June 20, 2011

Hey dad! I am sorry my Father's Day shout out is just a short email, but at least I remembered right? I just wanted to thank you for your awesome example and for everything you have done for me in my life. I am so grateful for you and for every sacrifice you have made for me, and I know you have made a lot. As you know, as a missionary you kind of step out of your life for two years, and you are able to look back at key moments of your life and see how blessed and lucky you have been. I have definitely done that these past few months and I realize how awesome you have been! Earth fathers are the heads of the home, and are the representatives of Christ for their families. You have been nothing short of that, through your words and actions. Dad you have taught me so many lessons without even saying anything to me a lot of the times haha. Your desire to help people always, whether temporally or spiritually, has not gone unnoticed. I hope I can be half of the kind of dad you have been to me. Thank you so much for teaching me correct principles and living the gospel. I love you so much and I hope you had a relaxing Father's Day. I am so glad Heavenly Father put me in your family. Have an awesome week Dad!

Golden Investigator - make that Purple and Gold Investigator!

Ready to knock doors - or knock them down? ;)

Taking a break from their zone training meeting

Downtown Calgary - The Annual Calgary Stampede is held right next to the Saddledome

The gangs all here: Elder Soliz, Elder Walker, Elder Harker Elder D, Elder Nielson, Elder Chunn, Elder Walker, Elder Galloway, Elder Brandon, Elder Rudd, Elder Dunlap and Elder Davies

The Spanish Zone at Lake Louise - apparently Elder Draper didn't get the email! He dressed for the beach, not the Canadian Rocky Mountains

Let there be rain.....sleet and snow

Icefields Parkway connects Lake Louise to Jasper, Alberta

He's trying not to show it but he's freezing

Hola mis cuates!

Absolutely amazing week! The blessings we are receiving are unbelievable! First miracle: I don't remember if I told you about the story with that family from Sri Lanka we met in the west? They are the ones that live right above Rocky and that one day I felt inspired super strongly to knock the door. Well the sisters have been teaching them the last month or so and they are getting baptized this Saturday!!! That was a good reassurance that the prompting I had came from the Spirit...I can't imagine how much trouble I would be in if I didn't follow that prompting haha. I have really learned how to receive revelation and to act on it. So the big news is that we have FINALLY set a baptismal date! But it came from an unexpected place! We went by a part member family last week, Juan Carlos and Kristen Garcia. She is an inactive member and he is not a member. They are from D.F. The elders have taught Juan Carlos the last 2 years, but he really has had no desire to progress. We dropped by and they agreed to feed us dinner the next day. So we go in just planning on teaching Kristen because Juan apparently has no interest. We read 2 Nephi 31 with them and at the end Juan Carlos says" Look Elders I have been thinking and I am ready to be baptized. How do we start that process?" My jaw dropped to the floor, because I had heard so many things about him not wanting anything to do. So we set the date for next Sunday the 26th at 6 PM! He is progressing nicely. It is just crazy how the Lord has a specific time frame and moves the pieces around just right to make things happen. So we are stoked about that and we will have some pics for next week!

Speaking of moving the pieces around at the right time, the Lord has done that as well with Juan Martinez, the family friend of the Amaya's who arrived to Calgary! He came to church yesterday and we met...he is the coolest kid ever! You know those people who you are 100% sure that you met them and knew them before, whether here or in the pre-mortal life? Yeah I don't have many of those people in my life, but Juan is definitely one of them . He is 22 or 23 and is Mexican. His family has been just destroyed (father committed suicide, mom left, siblings have gone awry, etc.) He has lived all over the US. But I swear I have met him before. He is the biggest Laker and Kobe fan of all time, so you know how we are getting along hah! He loves basketball and we have all the same interests. But of course he is so prepared to be baptized. He opened up to us and shared his life story, it was one of the most touching and spiritual moments of my mission. I really have made an awesome friend in 1 day! It is a tremendous blessing to be able to teach him and help him progress in the gospel. He is ready to be baptized, but we are waiting to hear back from President Archibald, who has to talk to the mission president down in Kansas to determine what needs to happen so Juan can get baptized here. If he does not get baptized this weekend, it will be the next weekend for sure. We are super excited!!! The Lord is totally guiding this work!

Banff was lots of fun! It was freezing and pouring rain, but I had a great time. We went to a couple lakes (Lake Louis and another one) and stayed just for a couple hours. I definitely want to go back after the mission for vacations and stuff, it is so tranquilo up there. We have not down much street contacting downtown, unless we feel super inspired to go. It is a safe city, but the people are super rude and mean but I am sure that is everywhere.

Hahaha nick you are so funny! I miss you! I am doing pretty good. Yeah I am pretty sure that is the same Bleidistel that I had...she taught history and language arts. School is out yeahhh! That is awesome you are getting a 24 hour pass! You gotta get ripped...have you grown any more lately? I haven't seen any pics in a while. Yeah I heard all about the finals now...I love it. I heard that Dwight Howard might join Kobe??? How possible is that? Love the joke about LeBron...he isn't humble enough to win a ring! Haha love you Nick!

Happy Birthday Madison! You are getting so old! I hope you have a spectacular birthday and have lots of fun with your friends. I miss you a lot and I promise I will be at your 12th birthday next year! Keep being a good girl! I love you! Have a great week and enjoy your summer!

Thanks for writing Blake! Wow this is the week for you! I can't tell you how stoked I am for you...it is going to be so much fun! You are so ready for it and you are going to dominate. I was wondering about who was using my Macbook haha that's good to know. If you don't mind I would love to see a copy of your blessing...but if you want me to see it while we are together I respect that too. I totally forgot Isaac got a scholarship...holy cow you got a sweet hookup there! Remember when we got to shoot around on the Marriott center with Mike Rose? Legittt. Well Blake I will be praying for you hard this week. Everything is going to be great and after a week you will be settled in and will have life on your own figured out. It is pretty easy haha. Love you bro! Have a great graduation and send me an email next week from Provo!!!

So next week pday is on Tuesday because we have transfers, the Spanish Zone is going to be completely different after 6 elders go home. I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week!

Elder Draper

Spanish Zone trip to Banff today

When Ryan opened his mission call we Googled Calgary right away and instantly pictures of Banff National Park popped up. Funny because for years Jamey has tried to plan a vacation to Banff and stay at the Château Lake Louise but I always said "no, it's too COLD!" Now I'm rethinking that...well when Ryan arrived at the mission home he learned that the Spanish speaking elders only area is in the city of Calgary (where the majority of Spanish speaking people live) so we thought he'd never have a chance to see this beautiful area in Alberta. Today he emailed and said his zone is taking a day trip to Banff! He'll send pictures next Monday but I wanted to share some of my favorites I found on on-line. We are super excited to see and hear all about his p-day!

Monday June 13, 2011

Hello Family!

I don't have much time to type because the Spanish Zone is headed out to Banff today! Brother Gillis from the ward is taking us and the weather is perfect! It should be a great trip and I will take a ton of pictures for sure! Sorry the email will be short but we're about ready to leave...

So yeah Sis. Amaya (who contacted me through Ryan's Facebook) is from Colombia and is a stud. Her husband was robbed and murdered in Colombia 3 years ago and she moved up here as a refugee. She has a missionary son serving in British Columbia and they just are an awesome family, always feeding us and doing missionary work for us. I don't have time to explain this crazy miracle, but basically the Amaya's have a family friend in Kansas named Juan (who's from Mexico) who is taking all of the lessons from the missionaries there and is coming up here next Tuesday to be baptized because he wants the Amaya family with him! So we are getting someone completely ready for baptism, and just have to dunk him! Such a sweet miracle. We weren't able to set any solid bap. dates this week, but the closest are Alberto and Luz Marina, who are both eyeing the 26th. Those should be made firm tonight. The zone leaders have been teaching a Mexican lady that lives about an hour and a half out of the city, and she is getting baptized this Sunday...I get to do my first interview on Saturday with her! It'll be so crazy because I will probably have to do it over Skye because she is so far away! She doesn't speak very good English but she has to get baptized out there in the little English branch because she can't travel up here every Sunday for church in the Spanish branch. Crazy!

That is some of the main stuff for this week. We have more new investigator lessons lined up. The Lord is seriously leading us to the prepared Spanish people here, more than ever during my mission. These prepared people are hard to find on our own, so I have learned to rely more on Heavenly Father, because He knows where these people are...I love you all! Blake good luck with blessing #2 and your new adventure in Provo! Have an awesome week!

Love,

Elder Draper

Monday June 6, 2011

Saturday temple trip with the Spanish ward
Half of the Spanish Zone: (L) Elder Soliz, Elder Rudd, Elder D, Elder Galloway, Elder Brandon and Elder Chunn

Rocky was their chauffeur, this was his second temple trip since his baptism and also Ryan's too
Elder Draper and Rocky Balboa doing their tough guy pose
Juan Carlos (Rocky) and Elder Draper
Elder Soliz, Elder Chunn, Lizz's mom, Elder Draper, Elder Rudd, Elder Brandon, Elder Galloway and sweet Lizz
Elder Draper with Elder Galloway
Elder Rudd, Lizz and Elder Draper

Que onda familia!?

This week was great! Weeks are going by so fast!! The temple trip was amazing! Our ride to the temple cancelled the night before, so we scrambled to find someone to take us. I called Rocky up, knowing that he was already taking the bus, but of course he is a stud and was willing to change his plan and drive us to Cardston in his van. Let me just say I got to experience my first Mexican road trip I have ever been on (dad would understand haha). He stopped a bunch to check his oil and tires, but made up the time driving ridiculously fast. I am not going to say how fast because it will scare you mom! He is so funny, decked out in his suit button all the way up and with his shades on he looked like a limo driver. I don't see him at all since transfers, but he calls a bunch to see what's up. We had beautiful weather and I learned a ton in the session because we went through in English, which was nice. Always better to hear the gospel in your language. I love this area because we are teaching so many people! I am used to the branch now, and we get fed alright, less than the west area though. We are about 10 minutes from the chapel (it is on the corner of Elbow Dr. and Heritage Dr.) and about 15 minutes from the mission home. Alright I will get you the tacos al pastor recipe, but I'm sure it is on the internet. I will start collecting recipes to send home...I wonder if there is a Spanish market around our house where you can buy real Spanish stuff...there are a couple up here so I'm sure there are all around at home.

This week we had 5 gator lessons with 3 different people! We didn't meet with Alberto this week because he was looking for a place to live, and on Saturday he found the place! It is right by his work and the chapel so that was many prayers answered. He has no excuse now to accept a date tonight, so we are planning on that. We set a baptismal date on Wed. with a lady named Roxanne from the Dom. Rep. She is visiting her LDS son here from Toronto. She accepted to be baptized this Friday, the day before she heads back to Toronto. She agreed to live all the commandments, but the next day when we talked about chastity, a few problemitas came out so we had to cancel the baptism for now. She is going to go back and either get married to her boyfriend or move out, so she can get baptized. We picked up a new gator named Patricia from Colombia who got invited by a member family. She is actually looking for a church right now and loved the first lesson, she should accept baptism this week. There is a lady named Luz Marina who is super interested, another lady named Patricia and her husband Francisco, and another Francisco whose wife is a member. Those are the people closest to baptism, and we have a few other that will take a little more work.

Life is great here. The Lord is blessing us tremendously and I feel super content with the work I am doing. This gospel is true and my testimony of it has strengthened so much. Thanks for your wonderful examples and testimonies. It sounds like everyone is doing great and that is the best thing I can hear. I love you all so much and will keep praying for you!!!

Elder Draper

Google Earth

We zoomed in on his address and panned around his neighborhood. Their duplex is on the right and that park across the street is where he plays soccer on p-days.
A picture of his apartment - lower right window
A view from the other side of his apartment looking back down the street
This was the original picture he sent of the view from his room. We love Google Earth!

Monday May 30, 2011

The Calgary Spanish Zone! back row left: Elders Walker (Ryan's 3rd comp), Brandon (Ryan's current comp), Rudd (first comp in Calgary), Nielson, Chunn, Draper, Soliz and Davies (Ryan's MTC companion) front row left: Elders Dunlap, Galloway (last comp), Walker and Harker
I asked him to send me a picture of where he lives now...LOL

Nice, another church is quoting President Kimball!

Hello!! Mom I think our address is 2418 16A St. SW. Wow I can't believe Trevor's generation is heading out for their missions...that means I am old! He emailed me and gave me the update on everybody, so that was good. Yeah I play ball almost every p-day, at least shoot free throws to keep my form good ha. I also have 35 lb dumbbells and perfect pushup and a medicine ball...I am all set to go as far as that stuff goes. Elder Brandon and I also run every other day so that is good.

I am glad that Blake will have a few buddies up there rooming with him, although you really hang out with people you meet up there, at least that is what happened to me. I am excited for him to start his adventure! Once you graduate from high school, it's over (sorry mom!) Life starts so quickly and you start doing your thing.

Saturday we are going to the Cardston Temple. We get to go to the temple every 6 months, so I have 2 more trips here. Plus if you have converts going to through for endowments, you get to go with them. Rocky just got his Visa extended, so he should be around here next Feb. so I can go through with him! This past week was just insane, and this week is only going to be that much busier. The training was good. SUPER long but I learned a lot of course. We taught Alberto on Monday and he said he is getting baptized...he would not commit to a date because of his situation...he is still looking for a home. We have been praying hard that the Lord makes it happen so he can accept a date tonight at 8 PM. He will be dunked veryyy soon ;) Then we had 2 sweet miracles yesterday. There is this potential gator named Luz Marina from Colombia. She slipped on ice in the winter and hurt her leg really bad. She knows a member and the member sent the elders over to give her a blessing, and she improved dramatically! So this member (who goes to an English ward) had a spiritual prompting to invite Luz to church, and she came! She was participating a ton in gospel principles and is anxious to talk to us on Wednesday at 5...she is totally getting baptized! Then the other miracle: There is a man in the ward from the Dominican Republic, but has been attending an English ward. Yesterday he showed up to our branch with his mom Roxanne, a nonmember. She is visiting from Toronto. Her son told me that she is ready to accept the gospel after years of hearing it! We have an appointment with her today at 3. The craziest part about this that she is leaving to go back to Toronto on the 11th of June! That means today we are going to extend to her the 10th to be baptized, which gives us like 12 days!!! We are stoked and believe that there has to be a reason she is here...uh to gain entrance into the celestial kingdom? Yeah I think so! Plus we have 5 other investigator lessons set up because a bunch fell through last week. It's crazy I really have no time to think! Plus there is a companionship in the district with low numbers we are trying to figure out how to help them.

Life is so busy right now, but I am loving it. Teaching the gospel is so sweet and gratifying! Wish us luck! I love you all and hope you have a stellar week!

Thanks Dad! I'm already loving the new area, downtown is crazy! Already have some pretty interesting stories. I will update you on all our investigators (in the family email)...I have never had this many at one time I don't know how to balance the time! I'm sure this is what a Mexican mission feels like seriously. I am stoked that Blake will be ordained an Elder soon and is doing so awesome. He will be great. I am so happy that all the boys in our family are so tight, that's the way it should be. You are our example and I appreciate everything you have said to me the last 20 years. Everything you taught are all the correct principles and it is what I want to do with my boys one day. Enjoy the day at Disneyland for me :)

Love you all,
Elder Draper