It's already been one month!‏

Wow...last Friday was my one month mark! More importantly it was Rachel's bday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUG! It doesn't feel like I've been gone for that long. I'm happy it's gone by fast. So far so good here in Ocala. I've gotten to know my companion better, and he's a great guy. Whenever we teach I feel like I learn a lot from him. He's been a good trainer too. He's not pushy and doesn't try to force me to be someone I'm not. This week we did quite a bit of tracting. We were in an area we call the MLK Ghetto, and me a man named Lucious. He is an amazing man. We met him on Tuesday the 18th, and have taught him a few times since. Every time we teach him the Spirit is strong. Just talking to him I know he's been prepared to receive the gospel. Every time he's had struggles in life he's turned to God for help. He has been searching for the true church for a pretty long time now. I'm excited to teach him more. I love him and know he will be blessed as he continues to learn more. We have a few more investigators. We're teaching a young man named Ethan. I have high hopes for him. He's actually dating the Bishop's daughter. We taught him on Thursday and the Holy Ghost could be felt so strongly. I especially felt it when I testified of how important families are to Heavenly Father. I know that's where we can be our happiest. I know that's when I'm happiest. Especially when we teach the gospel in our homes. I love sharing the gospel with the people. I know we can only experience true joy by being righteous and living according to the gospel. On Saturday we had a special Mission Conference...I guess that's what you would call it. Elder Russell M. Nelson came and talked to just our mission. He's one of the Twelve Apostles. It was great to hear from another Apostle. We even got to shake his hand! We also heard from Elder Rasband and two other members of the Seventy. It was a great experience. They talked about how to be better missionaries, and that we need to focus on becoming closer to members in order to get referrals from them. Also, a lot of the time we tract in the poorer areas because the people there are more receptive of our message and much more humble. However, Elder Nelson told us we need to focus more on tracting in wealthier areas...we need to try to bring in people who can help build the kingdom of God. It'll be interesting tracting those places. I know we can do it. On Sunday it was Stake Conference, and Elder Nelson talked there too. So, I got a double dose...I got to shake his hand again haha. Unfortunately I didn't get to hear as much of his talk as I would have liked to. We had some investigators with us, and they're kids. It felt like I was babysitting...I won't be doing that again any time soon. It was still a good time though. I think I'm adjusting pretty well out here. I'm not as tired as I was the first few days, and the weather doesn't bother me much. I sweat a lot, but I always have...gross.
That's it for now. I love you all!

Love, Zach

Hey Momma!

Hi Mom!

Things are going really well here. It's kinda funny. Out here the people are really different. I realize what the ghetto is...it's pretty crazy out here. There is one family we're teaching who lives in a trailer just in the middle of a field. On the outside it looks a little run down, but once you get inside...WOW! It's bad. The floor is mostly plywood like stuff, and there are gaps between the wood where you can see the ground through it. Also when they use their sink it just drains out of the house onto the ground. It's a very...humbling experience. They're a great little family though. I enjoy visiting them because they have a lot of love for one another. The mom and daughter have been baptized, but the dad and son haven't. They're also not active. We're trying to get them active, and baptize the dad and son. We also visited another family and were teaching a few little girls when a cockroach ran across the wall. Instead of freaking out or anything like that they started making jokes that it's their cousin and were trying to mess with it. It was pretty funny. I finally got that package you sent. The mission office has had it for a few weeks, but I can only get it when we have meetings...like the one we had Saturday. Thanks for throwing in the food and goodies. They will definitely help out! I love you Mom and am grateful for everything you do! Tell everyone I love them, and to go to church!

Love, Zach

If April shower brings...

May flowers, then what does May snow bring???July skiing? This is what we went to school and work in. My poor peones were feeling the weight.

I'm finally here!‏

5/17/10...Hey, I'm finally in Florida. I actually got here last Wednesday evening. That was a long day. It felt like we were flying all day. Our flight left SLC at 8:30 and we finally got to Florida around 4:30. So, it felt like all day, but I lost a few hours coming over here.It was strange having my birthday in the MTC. I had actually forgotten it was my birthday until Elder Wadsworth wished me a happy bday. They don't do any celebrations or anything like that. So, it felt like just another day. Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday, and for sending me those wonderful pictures. It really made me happy to get them, and hear from everyone. I did get a little card from the MTC President and his wife, but they just send those to everyone who has a bday there. The last few days in the MTC went pretty well. On Tuesday nights they have a Devotional for the whole MTC and the day before I left Elder Jeffrey R. Holland was the speaker. It was awesome!! It was such an amazing experience. The Spirit was so strong in that room. I loved it. He's a great man. When we got to the MTC we met with President Newman and Sister Newman. We had dinner at their house and learned some new stuff. They have a method of tracting called the "gathering." When I first saw the Elders who were training us doing it I was caught off guard. It's a pretty bold approach. They ask people from the start if they're willing to follow Christ and be baptized. It really works though. I've been learning how do it more effectively, and I'm starting to get the hang of it. I think once I'm more comfortable with it things will go great. After learning that we went to an apartment and spent the night. Then on Thursday morning we found out who our new companions are. My new companion is Elder Brandon. He's from Murray. He actually knows a bunch of people that were on my coed indoor team. Like Sean Booth, Tailor, Devin...and a bunch more. He's pretty chill, and has been helping me learn a lot. I'm in Ocala, FL. Which from what I hear is about as far from Jacksonville as I can get and still be in the mission boundaries. It's pretty cool here. There are trees everywhere! It's so green. I don't even know how to explain it. I'll try get pictures developed and sent home within the next few weeks. My pday is now on Monday, and like at the MTC I only have 30 minutes to read emails and write back. So, unfortunately I most likely won't be able to respond to emails and letters. If you write me a letter or that kind of thing make sure you write the address neatly. Apparently they're picky about that out here. Umm....I have so much I want to write before I get here, but when it comes time to do it I can't think of everything I wanted to say. The people here have been nice so far. Haha...the other day we were tracting and my companion pissed a guy off. So we stopped talking to him and went to knock on other doors. About 20 minutes later the guy came out, and looked like he had been crying, and said that my companion needs to be more respectful and not question someone like he had. The guy was pretty upset, but my comp had really said anything mean or rude. There's a little more to the story, but I'm running out of time. My comp and I share the apartment with two other Elders. They're Elder Blaire and Elder Porter. Both are from Utah. They're pretty chill too. My companion and I are the missionaries for two wards, so Sundays are really long. We're at church basically from 7:30am to about 4pm. I had a hard time staying awake yesterday. I could barely keep my eyes open. Well, that's it for now.

Love, Zach

The First Supper http://www.floridajacksonvillemissionnews.blogspot.com/

Letter to Mom

5/17/10...Hi. Just thought I would write to tell you I love you and everyone. I'm really happy I was able to talk to you and Emma last week. It was nice hearing from both of you. The apartment here is messy! I spent most of this morning just cleaning the kitchen. It's looking better, but still not up to my standards...unfortunately I think that's something I'm going to have to get used to while out here. We'll see though. My companion and I get to use a car in our area, which is really nice! If we didn't have it I would have to buy a bike, and that will be really expensive. So I'll keep praying for a car...haha. Give my love to everyone. Is Kaleb still going to church? How about Elijah? It's weird. Out here I see people who think they are happy and have good lives, and some are doing pretty well, but at the same time I know something is missing from their lives. It's something I didn't notice a whole lot while at home. There are people who have so much, but are missing out on so much more...they're missing the gospel. I want to help them so much. I'm adjusting to missionary life pretty well I think. I'm hoping that over the next few days I'll be able to be more assertive, and help my companion and I make better use of our time. Sometimes it feels like we could be doing so much more good if we just planned our days better. Although things have been going well so far, and I'm still trying to figure this all out. I'm happy I'm finally out here. It's a lot different from Utah. It's hot, and pretty humid. The humidity isn't as bad as I thought it would be though. I hear that in July and August it's bad. On Saturday we did some service projects. The first one we did was for a less active member in the 1st ward. We went to his house and cleaned up his yard. It was like a jungle! I'm not even exaggerating, it was really overgrown. We cut down a bunch of stuff, and cleaned it up some, but he didn't want us to do too much. It's still pretty overgrown, but that's how he wanted it. Afterwards we went to a ward bbq. It was nice, and gave me a chance to meet some of the members. Then we went back to the apartment to get changed into our missionary clothes. As soon as we had done that we got a call from a less active sister in the 2nd ward. They had been digging a hole for a pool when the backhoe they were using broke. So we got shovels and went to help finish digging it out. There wasn't much left, but it was still a lot of work. I was sweating so much! I don't know if I've ever sweat that much before. It was good to help her though. After finishing that we went out to visit some investigators we had found on Friday. Most of them weren't home though. There was one young girl named Johnisha, she's 13, and she seemed interested in being baptized. However, as soon as her mom found out we had been talking to her she told us to stop talking to her daughter. I was bummed, but understand where she was coming from. Normally I wouldn't even talk to kids like that, but my comp said we should. It's weird, but if a 13 year old kid has been prepared by the Lord we need to find them. Sorry I haven't been able to send any pictures home. I don't have a whole lot. I'm just not a big picture taker. I'll work on getting the ones I do have developed and sent home hopefully within the next week or two. Yesterday I was sitting in church and they announced the date...I hadn't realized it was the 16th. I didn't get upset or anything, but at that point I realized it was 11 years ago that Dad died. It feels like he died so long ago, but at the same time it feels like it could have happened not that long ago. It's a weird feeling. On a happier note...HAPPY BIRTHDAY...tomorrow. I hope it goes really well. Tell Kurt I say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to him too, and of course Rachel as well on Friday. Last night we were visiting a less active family, and they live in a trailer. It looked a little beat up outside, but when I got inside I was surprised. They had plywood floors and you could see the ground between the boards. They're trailer was...I don't even know what to call it. It was a very humbling experience. They are a really nice little family. We're going to eat dinner with them on Thursday, and teach them a lesson. I'm actually looking forward to it.

Out here in Ocala it's pretty nice. Like I said in the other email, it's really green. Trees are everywhere. Our apartment complex almost feels like it's in a forest. I like it, but it feels a little too closed in at times. I miss being able to see for miles like you can in Utah...especially if you get on a good hill. They have a lot of little hills out here, but you still can't see much. We were driving to a families house the other day and we were out more in the country. There were some ranches that raise horses and it's really pretty out there. They have these huge fields of grass, and then where the fields end it thick forest. It's really cool. Anyway, that's about it for now. I love you and everyone else!

Love, Zach

Hey Everyone!‏

5/06/10...Hey peeps. I just want to say thanks to everyone who has written to me, or sent me anything. It's always exciting to get mail! I love hearing about everything that's going on in your lives. I'm sorry I can't write back, but we only have 30 minutes to read and write emails. So, there's no way I would be able to write everyone individually. Well, I'm still in at the MTC in Provo. I'm so ready to leave. I like it here, but sometimes the other Elders act....well, lets just say they're not quite as mature haha. Thursday is my Pday. It's actually weird on Pday. It's like I don't know what to do with myself because our schedule is usually so packed. Usually at the end of the day my brain feels like it can't take any more info. I've learned so much here! I'm pretty sure I've gained ike 5 pounds over the last two weeks. They serve dessert at just about every meal, and it's all you can eat...no bueno. Oh, that reminds me! Elder Wadsworth (my comp), Elder McArthur, Elder Johnson, and I are reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish! We're reading it with the Book of Mormon in English. We'll read one verse in English, then go and read the same verse in Spanish. I'm only in the third chapter of 1Nephi, but it's been cool. I've heard missionaries have been promised if they do this they'll be able to pick up the new language quickly. Not that I have to learn Spanish, but I know it will come in really handy in Florida. It would be awesome if I learned Spanish and was able to have my mission changed to Spanish speaking. We got our itinerary. We leave next Wednesday. We have to get up at like 4 to make it to our flight. I'm really excited to be leaving, but nervous too. Kind of like when I came to the MTC. Last night my companion and I taught a lesson at the TE (Teacher Evaluation). Which is where we go and teach a lesson to teachers, but they act like their investigators. We've done this a bunch of times. Anyway we were teaching our "investigator" and he throughout his life several of his family members had died. His dad died when he was 13, his mom when he was 23, and recently his brother. Anyway, I was prompted by the Holy Ghost to share how I felt when Dad died. It was such a wonderful moment. I really felt like I connected with the "investigator." It's weird talking about Dad and how I felt when he died. Usually I don't mention it to anyone. In fact most of my newer friends probably don't even know that he died. I usually don't share it because I don't want people to feel pitty for me, but now I realize I will need to share it at times to help other people. It's definitely something I'm going to have to get used to. We get to go to the Provo Temple today. We went last Thursday too. It was so wonderful. I love going to the Temple. I feel so much peace and love when I'm there. I always feel so close to Dad and Heavenly Father. I hope all of you can go there one day, and I remember all of you in my prayers. Well, I'm just about out of time. Keep writing! I love all of you!

Love, Zach

P.S. Happy Birthday Emma and Jess!

did you think we disappeared?

Nope we're still here...one day I'll get this down and be able to do it myself. It's just easier to enlist Emma's expertise. Happy Birthday all you many people in May! We have several in our little group, 4 out of 11 kids, and both Kurt and I. Staring with Jessica 21, Emma 17, Zachery 24, Kurt and I (on the same day) ageless, and our Rachel Bug 11. Cake anyone?
Now for an update on Elder Snow. He couldn't call on Mother's Day, due to the fact that he was still in the MTC, however he called from the airport to say hello. Emma and I were the only ones left home and we got to talk for a half hour or so. It was so nice to hear from him. He says he felt like he was in high shool at the MTC because they are all so much younger then him. He said they would look at the "outside" world from behind the fence. Said he loved his birthday presents and the pictures...so did his companions, several want to write to Emma. Maybe I should buy her some stationary and stamps.
Mothers Day was nice, I saw some, heard from the others. We helped Brady, Nate and their kids make gifts for their Moms. They had fun painting and coloring.

Last few weeks....

Kaidynce is starting to come out of her shy shell and is becoming quite the little comedian. She is the only one who can get Braxtyn to laugh out loud (and it's killing mom). She actually rode a pony, she was screaming for half of the ride and gripping onto mom but it is progress. She loves to follow mom around with her baby.

Braxtyn is now 5 months old and finally gaining some serious weight! Yay! We started him on formula a few weeks ago (after we found out Christy had no milk) and he has gained a few pounds! He is starting to roll and sit up and is so much more alert and happy. He recently found his grunting voice and loves to do it all the time. We are still debating whether he is a red head or not.

Taylor competed in his first karate tournament and got third place in nun chucks!! He did so great! He also competed in sparring and forms. He is testing for his brown belt on June 4th and told us he is so excited and can't wait to be a black belt.Way to go buddy! We are so proud of you! Taylor is excited for summer to start so he can go to karate camp and play with his friends.

Miss Rylee had her dance recital and danced to "ain't she sweet". Of course Rylee thought the song was all about her. She did a great job and we were so proud of her. She loves to be on stage and to get all of the attention. That's our Rylee girl! She has started in gymnastics and is doing so well. She is so excited to be a first grader this fall so she can ride the bus in the morning and eat lunch at school.