Merry Christmas!

Hello Everybody!

Everything is still the same here in Payette! It was kind of a slow week because nobody wants to see us during Christmas, lol. I am expecting it to be the same way this week, but we are still gonna try as hard as we can!

Christmas was great! It was awesome to be able to talk to my family! 

I am so thankful for the gift of Jesus Christ's birth. That He came to Earth and lived a perfect life. And set the example for us to become like Him and our Heavenly Father. I have a testimony of his death. That He suffered for us in the Garden of Gethsemane and was raised up on the cross. And that He rose on the third day. He paid the price for our sins. And because He was resurrected we will be too. I am so thankful for this knowledge. 

I know it wasn't much of an email this week! I just hope you all had a great Christmas and that you all have a happy new year! 2017 is almost here! I love you all!!

-Elder Waite 

We sure enjoyed talking to Jacob on Christmas Day. He says he's not ready to get transferred but feels like it might happen with the next transfer in a couple weeks. Also, he received the basketball shoes we sent him about two hours AFTER he sprained his ankle on Saturday! 

The Longs - Jacob used their computer to Skype with us on Christmas

The socks we sent Jacob for Christmas - Boise State colors!

Proof that it's cold in Payette!

After our Skype call on Christmas - coincidentally at Kelli (Heap) Wahl's friend's house. 

He Took Our Stripes

Hey Everyone!!

This week was a good one! Except on Friday we were told by our Mission President to stay indoors all day! Because of "extreme weather conditions". Haha, but it wasn't even that bad on Friday! Saturday and Sunday were way worse than Friday!! But it was still a great week nonetheless.

Yesterday at church my testimony of the Savior and His atonement grew yet a little bit more. A guy gave a talk about the Savior and His birth and why His birth was so important. In his talk he told a story about this class full of boys that was very rambunctious and they had gone through a lot of teachers because they couldn't handle the class. So they got a new teacher that had the boys come up with a way that they would be punished if they broke the rules. One boy shouted, "ten stripes across the back without a jacket on!". The teacher asked the boys if they all agreed and they all did. The new punishment that was laid out straightened the boys up pretty well. But a couple days later the teachers lunch went missing. They found the boy who did it. A small, skinny boy. And there being no exception to the new rule the teacher reluctantly told the boy to take his jacket off and come up to the front of the class. The boy pleaded with the teacher, "Teacher, you can hit me as hard as you want, but please, don't make me take my jacket off." The teacher said that he couldn't make any exceptions. So the boy took his jacket off. But he had no shirt on. All he had was his jacket to cover his skin and bones. The teacher asked him why he would come to school without a shirt on, to which the boy replied, "My father passed away and my mother and I don't have much. I only have one shirt and my mother is washing it today." So the teacher was feeling pretty bad for this boy and didn't know what to do. He thought, "how can I hit this poor boy who has nothing?"  When finally another boy in the class stood up and said "teacher, if you don't mind, I will take his stripes for him" and the teacher said "very well, it is okay for someone to take the punishment of another" and the other boy took his punishment for him. Afterwards the first boy hugged the boy that took his punishment for him and told him that he would love him forever for caring enough to take his beating for him.

I might've butchered the story a little bit but I just told it the best I could remember!

We can relate this story to what the Savior did for us. We all sin. We all disobey the rules. Because we disobey the rules we all need to be punished. But the Savior loved us so much that He took the beating for us. He came to this earth. He lived a perfect life. And He suffered for each and everyone one of our sins, pains, and weaknesses. For each and everyone of us. He provided a way for us to be able to become clean again. And to live in His presence for eternity. I will forever be in debt to Him. May we all remember what the Savior did for us. Especially this Christmas as we celebrate His birth. I love you all and I hope you all have a great week and a very Merry Christmas!

Love,

Elder Waite 


It's been cold in Arizona but I guess it's colder in Idaho! Jacob said it was -10 this morning! That's pretty cold. And I'm happy for them that they have 5 people set for baptism. He sounds so good. And we're looking forward to our Skype session on Sunday! Merry Christmas to you all!

The Christmas Tree we were given

We didn't have a star...

so we improvised!

One of our favorite members, Sister Branham, made this quilt for me!

Apparently Idahoans don't know how to spell Tucson! haha!

Snow and Answers

Hey everyone!

Well, it snowed this week! It has been a little weird being back in Idaho and seeing half a foot of snow fall in less than a day.. haha. And there is supposed to be more this week! I got used to being in Arizona where it snows about a half an inch at night and then it melts by noon the next day and you just have mud everywhere! The snow is a lot of fun to drive in!;)

It was a pretty good week all around. We taught quite a few lessons and got a new investigator named Justin. So we are working on that!:) Carla, Mariah, and Daniel are progressing well! They are so awesome! Mariah is already halfway through the Book of Mormon! Which is awesome because like NO ONE ever does that! And she's 17! And she has even been discussing it with her friends at school! Wow!

We were also able to meet with a family we haven't been able to catch since August! They are ready to kick it in gear and we have a baptism date set for the 31st! 

So the work here is going great! On a more personal level, I was able to finish reading the Book of Mormon this past week. After I finished it I got on my knees and I talked to God about it. I have always known that The Book of Mormon is true because that is how I was raised. I know the blessings that have come from being raised in the gospel. After I was done with my prayer I never had a huge electric feeling, which is what I wanted, but I feel like that's not what I need. I think God wants me to figure this all out on my own. And if it takes the full two years to find it out then I know that that is why I am here. That's why God sent me to Idaho. He wants me to figure it out. And I am getting there! Little by little! Day by day! I am so thankful for this opportunity I have to help bring others closer to Christ. It is the hardest thing I have ever done, but I know it will be worth it.

I hope that you all have a great week! I love you all! 

-Elder Waite 

I love that testimony. It just keeps growing. Blessings.

He says lots of snow and cold temps are predicted for the rest of this week. 

Me, as a snow angel.

Snowball Pyramid

Out our front door

Blessings of the Spirit

Hello Everyone!

No time this week at all! It's crazy! I just hope that all is well with you guys! And that everyone is looking for opportunities to serve one another!

I am just gonna share an experience I had yesterday in church. The Payette 2nd ward reminds me a lot of my home ward back in SJ. A lot of older people and almost no youth. So they had a shortage on priests to bless the sacrament. And they asked me to help bless! It was awesome because I haven't had that opportunity since before I left on my mission. I felt the spirit so much as I took the sacrament yesterday. I had been fasting for a lot of things yesterday, it being fast Sunday and one thing was to have a great spiritual experience that day. It was awesome to get that experience. The Lord answers prayers. Prayer works.

Carla (one of our investigators) and her two kids Mariah and Daniel are progressing well and we have them on date for baptism in January! So excited!

I love you all! I hope you have a great week!

-Elder Waite

It's interesting how the Spirit works because Stacy was asked to pass the sacrament yesterday which hasn't happened in a while and the whole time I was thinking about how Jacob used to bless the sacrament every Sunday and wouldn't it be nice if he were there to bless and pass with his dad. I guess they got to but they were just two states away while they did it! I'm grateful for the priesthood in my home and that my boys honor it. 

Elder Masten and me bowling last Monday

Found my first gray hair during my haircut this week!

The advantages of not having to share - drinking straight from the bottle!

Christmas lights my mom sent me.

Thanksgiving and Transfers

Hey Everyone!!

This week was awesome! It started out by going to McCall on Monday and playing pool all day! It was a lot of fun! We went on exchanges Tuesday and we did a lot of service! You know how I love service!!:) Wednesday was a normal day and then it was Thanksgiving! What an awesome day! We were able to go to 4 different dinners! Let's just say I was feeling pretty heavy by the end of the night!! haha. We also had a couple more Thanksgiving dinners on Friday with people that couldn't do it Thursday because of work. Which is odd, but good food nonetheless! Saturday we got transfer calls and I am happy to say that I will be in Payette for Christmas!! I don't have much else to report this week.

As we get into the Christmas season the church has come out with another big Christmas Initiative! It is called #LighttheWorld In 25 ways. Over 25 days. There's a video for it on LDS.org you can watch. Throughout the month of December we are focusing on serving everyone around us. Doing things that our Savior Jesus Christ did. There are so many things that he did for so many different people. There is an advent calendar for each day in December. Each day focuses on a certain thing that Jesus did, that we can do, too. An example of one day would be "Jesus helped the blind to see and so can you" and there are a bunch of different things we can do to help people see better. But I would just challenge everyone to watch this video and then do everything you can throughout December to serve others and I promise as you do so you will be blessed and you will become more like the Savior. "Ye are the light of the world" Matthew 5:14.

I love you all! i hope you all have a great week and that you all look for opportunities to serve one another!

Love,

Elder Waite


He sounds good, right? I felt peaceful today reading his email. I'm relieved that he gets to stay in Payette for Christmas. It helps to be somewhere you like to be during the holiday season. He'll eventually transfer and have another adventure somewhere else but for now it's good that he gets to stay another transfer! 

When we were buying his suits for his mission one of the salesmen in the store said he went to Boise on his mission and that Jacob should look forward to gaining a bunch of weight. Haha. He's up 12 lbs now. I can't even imagine it. He's always been lean. It just doesn't seem like it's possible to have him come home heavier. Crazy. 

It's awesome to hear of his enthusiasm for the #lighttheworld campaign. We're excited to participate as a family and to know that he is doing it along with us!

Riding with Elder Masten driving and Elder Price taking pictures

Diving in the lake

Crazy thick fog - can't tell from the picture!

Don't Lose Sight

Hey Everyone!

So this week was pretty awesome. If you've read my other emails you know that I love to do service. And, well, this week was more service oriented than anything. It was awesome! I love serving people! On Wednesday we got to cut wood for about 4 hours! And I didn't even stop for water, I loved it so much! I was pretty dang sore the next day though.. haha. 

And on Saturday we helped a family do something pretty crazy...  We skinned and butchered Llamas!! Pretty weird, huh? haha. It was fun, though.

Aaannnyyywwaaaaayyyy, I guess I should get to something more spiritual right? haha

You may have noticed the title of my email was 'don't lose sight'? Well, I was thinking this morning about what I should write my email about. And I thought I needed to share something about families. Families are so important. It's something I didn't really know much about before I came out on my mission. I love my family so much and I want nothing more than to be with them for eternity. Not only my immediate family but my extended family as well. All my cousins and aunts and uncles and everybody! I know so many people that have lost sight of why they are here. And why they were put into the family that they were put into. I am still pretty new to all this missionary stuff so I don't have any scriptural references to share, but I can tell you that reading the scriptures and praying will help. Those two things are so important. They will help you to not lose sight of why you are here. And they will motivate you to do all that you can so that you can be with your family for eternity. 

Don't lose sight.

My prayer this week is that we can all strive to love our families more. Do everything you can to find time in each day to read your scriptures and pray. It will help so much!

I hope you all have a great week! I love you all!

-Elder Waite

Before

After

Thought of my dad

Cement and Hotwheels

Hey everyone!

Not much to report this week. It was kinda another slow week. But we did a lot of service! I love doing service! It's always the best part of my day/week! We helped a guy pour cement! That was a lot of fun and some hard work! I am super glad that I have some past experience with that. Growing up my dad and I mixed and poured a lot of cement! It's fun! Soooooo fun!;) We also raked a lot of leaves! It is definitely fall in Idaho!!

I had kinda a cool experience yesterday at church. I had been thinking a lot about my family and especially my older sister this last week. About 2 and a half months ago we ate dinner with the Caviness family. We got to talking about old cars and such and if you know me, you know I like old cars! I told them that my dream car is a 1972 Ford Gran Torino Sport. And somehow brother Caviness remembered that. Haha. Their son just left on a mission to the Philippines and they like me for some reason, I don't know why... hahaha. Anyway, Brother Caviness pulled me aside yesterday and totally made my day! He went out of his way to find a 1972 Gran Torino Sport hotwheels car! Hahaha, that probably sounds dumb to all of you but I thought it was awesome! And it made me happy and made me realize how much I love these people here in Payette, Idaho!

That's all I have for this week. I hope that you all had a good week and that this next one is even better! I love you all!

Love,

Elder Waite

I always love to hear from my missionary! I feel about as bummed as he does that he won't be able to make it to his sister's wedding in May! But, the Lord's work keeps pressing on and he'll be blessed for his sacrifice. Just look at that smile. ♥

Golfing on Pday

My dream car....almost

Dr. Pepper on my desk. Ready to study!

Two of my favorite people in Payette! The Stowells.

Broken Window

Hey everyone!

This week was good! It went by really fast! But lesson wise.. it wasn't the best. Cancelled appointments left and right. Nobody was home. It just wasn't very good in that sense. But that's missionary life I guess! 

How many stories have you heard about missionaries breaking windows?? Haha I would probably guess not a lot! But guess what happened this week! Yep, we broke a window. We were at dinner Saturday night and we were playing fetch with this family's dog. My companion found this old pot outside and told me to toss the ball in the air for him to hit it with the pot so it would "go farther" for the dog. Well, I tossed it up. He hit it and the ball went flying. But so did the pot.... and.. well... it landed in this family's living room! hahaha. We helped them clean it up. And the cool part is, they still fed us dinner afterwards!;) They were really cool about it. Elder Dean sure got lucky! 

Elder Dean had to give the spiritual thought afterwards. He shared a scripture in the Book of Mormon that talks about how being carnally minded is death and being spiritually minded is life eternal. We related it back to how cool this family was about the broken window. They definitely weren't carnally minded about it at all! I hope that this week we can all strive to S.M.I.L.E (spiritually minded is life eternal) I hope you all have a great week! I love you all!

Love,

Elder Waite

As the mom I feel terrible that the window got broken. I really feel like we should help replace it! ugh. not a good feeling from so far away. 

Apparently he can find cool classic cars anywhere. I guess his ward mission leader's boss has this garage full and they went and checked them out! He was in heaven yet again! I guess it's one of the many reasons he loves Payette! Cars! 

He sounded so happy today. Mom's happy. AND, I think we finally figured out what was wrong with his camera so maybe next week's photos will be nice and clear! :)

"The Window"

Loving the classic cars

The skunk we hit with our car

Payette sunset

A Baptism and A Happy Halloween

Hey Everyone!

Wow! Another week down! I have to apologize cause this is really short! Shorter than usual! but i have like zero time!

So the best thing that happened this week was that Chris got baptized! Woohoo! I am very happy for him! We are going to work with him some more and help him get the priesthood so he can baptize his two sons in the coming weeks!

That's all I have for this week! Always keep the Atonement of Jesus Christ on your mind! I have come to a greater knowledge of and appreciation for the sacrament each week! Partake of it each week and renew your covenants with the Lord. It is the single most greatest thing we can do for ourselves each and every week! It's such a blessing. I know He lives.

Stay safe tonight! Happy Halloween!

Love,

Elder Waite

I asked Jacob how many lessons he teaches per day. He said they mostly teach people who aren't currently active in the church so that they can relearn and gain confidence to come back. He said 3-4 lessons per day, 5-6 if they get lucky and find people home. To me that's incredible! I was lucky to teach once a day while I was a missionary! He also said they've been raking lots of leaves for people!

When I asked him what he was doing for Halloween he said, "We have to be in our houses by 6:00, yeah. It'll be fun though. imma sleeeeeeep!!!" Total Jacob answer!

Chris Steffey and me before his baptism

Elder Boswell and I taught Chris

Chris and his family

Exploring McCall last pday

Fun in McCall

Planning to Follow The Spirit

Hey Everyone!

All is well here in good ol' Payette, Idaho! After me taking over the area, it hasn't burnt to the ground, yet! So, that's a miracle in and of itself!

This week I have noticed a lot more of the Spirit with me! It's such a great feeling to know that the Spirit is there and working through you! One experience I had was on Wednesday. We had just contacted a referral and it was about 3:55 PM. Well, on Wednesdays we always meet with Yvette at 4:00. So, the night before I had written down in my planner "Yvette at 4:00". After we had contacted the referral I didn't know what to go and do. And I, being as hard headed as I am, didn't look at my planner to see what we had planned to do at 4:00 . So, I just decided to go drive down a road I had never been on to scope it out and see what was there. Well, this road took me to the church. Which is where we always meet Yvette. And so I got of that road and got on the road by the church and as we were passing the church I saw Yvette's car sitting there and I was reminded that we needed to meet with Yvette! By that time it was about 4:05! So, we were a little late but if I hadn't thought to turn down the road I did, we probably would've spaced completely going to meet with Yvette. This experience humbled me a bit and built my testimony of planning. When we plan we are essentially telling God where we are going to be the next day. And I know that because we planned the Lord directed us to go down that road and drive by the church at 4:00 in the afternoon. Even though I was hard headed and wouldn't look at my planner to see where to go, the Lord knew where we had planned to go and guided us there.

Kinda a cheesy story, I guess, but it humbled me quite a bit! I hope you all have a great week and always strive to follow and listen to the Spirit! I love you all and you're in my prayers!

Love,

Elder Waite

Jacob says his new companion, Elder Dean, is quiet like him. So, it's forcing him to speak more! He says he's really growing now! He also says it's getting colder. They've been running their heater for a few weeks now and he's looking at buying his winter coat soon! 

Driving in the mountains on Pday.

An amazing rainbow during the drive!

It almost felt like you could reach out and touch it!

Testimony of The Atonement

Hey, Everybody!

It's been a pretty crazy week! I found out Wednesday that I'd be staying in Payette to take over the area. Heaven help Payette! haha. I'm gonna do my best. Elder Boswell got transferred to Nampa so my new companion is Elder Dean. He's from Sacramento, California! He's a pretty good guy! I'm excited to work with him! 

Well, I am officially done with training. I am supposed to be a pro now, right?? Well, if that's the case I'm in big trouble! haha. I still have no idea what I'm doing out here! I don't think I ever will! But, my goal is to do my best! That's been my goal my whole life. To do my best with everything I do. That's all the Lord asks of us! And then He promises to make up the rest! Isn't that amazing?? I love what Jesus Christ has done for me in my life and in the lives of those around me! I love His atonement! It is so amazing to me that he suffered and died for me! And for you! I'm so grateful for the atonement in my life. I've been humbled so much so far on my mission. I know I can turn to my Father in Heaven in prayer and He will always forgive me. Always. 

Chris Steffey and his two sons, Edwin and Raymond, are getting baptized this Saturday! I'm pretty excited for them! I know they are making the best decision they could possibly make with their lives! 

My new thrift store suit. (Mom thinks it was a pretty good buy!)

That's pretty much everything interesting that happened this week! I hope everyones week went well! And I hope you all have another great one this week! REMEMBER to turn to Him in prayer! And you can never go wrong! I promise you that as a representative of Jesus Christ! 

I love you all! You're all in my prayers!

-Elder Waite

My new companion, Elder Dean, and me emailing today.

Someone apparently told Jacob that Boise State and BYU play this week. He's definitely going to be a BSU fan when he gets home! He's not much of a BYU fan. It should be a pretty tough game for BYU I'll admit. 

He also told me that since he knows the area he's been driving. But, his companion told him not for long! haha! Anyway, I'm glad he gets to drive for a little bit at least! Probably one of the things he misses the most! :)

Service Brings You Closer to God

Hey everybody!

How was everybody's week?? Mine was pretty good! We did a lot of service! I love doing service because it's the one thing I actually know how to do out here. And do it well! Do service whenever you see a chance! It makes me feel so good to do service and I feel really close to my Heavenly Father when I do! I know that if you do service whenever you have or see a chance to do it you will be blessed and you will feel the love that your Heavenly Father has for you and for his children!

We had a mission tour meeting in Nampa this week! Elder Bradley Foster from the 70 came! It was pretty awesome and it sounds like there's gonna be some changes with how we work with the members as missionaries!

Transfers are this week. I am most likely staying in Payette for at least another transfer if not two. But, if i don't I will be sure to let you all know where I'll be at next Monday!

I know the restored gospel is true! I am so thankful for it! And thankful to the Lord for restoring it through the prophet Joseph Smith! He truly was and is a prophet of God! Just as President Thomas S. Monson is the prophet of God today! Listen to his words and the words of the apostles. Ponder them and apply them to your lives! We were so blessed to hear from them in general conference a week ago! 

I pray for you all everyday! Thank you for all your prayers! They are greatly appreciated! I love you all and I hope you all have a great week!

-Elder Waite

I love the positivity I'm hearing each week from this kid. That just means he is focusing on the work and serving the people. Gotta love it!

Making tortillas at a member's house and trying on a homemade kid's apron!
(I told him it doesn't fit very well!)

An Experience With Prayer

Hey everyone!

How was everyone's week?? Mine was pretty good!

I don't have much time but I wanted to share an experience I had with prayer this week!

So we were doing service for an old lady. I was going to mow her lawn but I had to fix the lawn mower first. So, of course, I took it apart and fixed it! And it started right up and ran great! After about 10 minutes of mowing I had to shut off the mower to go do something else really quick and when I came back I couldn't get the mower started again! And I didn't want to take it apart again. So, I was sitting there pulling it trying to get it started when the lady we were doing service for came out and told me to say a prayer to get it started. I was like, "yeah yeah, whatevs.. it still won't work." And as she was walking away I was like, wait a second. I am a missionary. I'm supposed to pray for anything and everything! So, I exercised my faith and said a prayer to get the mower started and I pulled it once and guess what!! You're right!! It didn't start!! So, I was like, yeah see, it doesn't work. And so I pulled it again out of frustration and it started. Seriously?? I felt terrible. I finished the lawn and that night I knelt down and prayed to my Father in heaven for forgiveness for being so stubborn. Ask and ye shall receive. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. 

"Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings and he will direct thee for good!" Alma 37:37

I hope you all have a great week this week! I love you all!

Love,

Elder Waite

Wait a minute. Was that Jacob who just told that story about prayer? My Jacob? That story touched this mom's heart because he's having the experiences that are bringing him closer to God and his Savior. He's learning little by little that what we've taught him all his life is true and REAL. He's learning for himself. That's all this mom wants. 

We spent last pday in McCall, Idaho

I went ice skating for the first and LAST time last pday in McCall!

The suit I bought at a thrift store for $11.

The original receipt for the suit I bought at the thrift store for $11!!

My tie collection so far

I Know Them

Hello Everyone!

This week was a great one! And they are starting to go by faster and faster! 

Yesterday in church someone bore there testimony about how they sometimes see someone they know that they know from somewhere, but they know they haven't ever talked to them in their life. That's how I feel about most of the people here in Payette, Idaho! When I first got here I was introduced to a lot of the members, and I could not think for the life of me where I had met some of these people before! But, you know what!? Now I know exactly where I know them from! And it's not because I used to live here! ;) Its from pre-earth life! All these people I know from somewhere I know from the Spirit World! And it just reminds me of why I got called to serve here in Idaho! It's because I know these people! One person in particular is 'Grandma Stowell'! When I first met her I could not for the life of me think of where I knew her from! And if I didn't actually know her, then I could not for the life of me think of who I did know that she reminded me so much of! But, as the weeks have passed I've come to realize that I've known her for forever! From Pre-Earth life!! She is my adopted mission grandma! And she calls me Grandson Waite! It's hilarious, and she is just the happiest person I know! I love her!

Elders Boswell and Waite with Eli at his baptism

We had a baptism on Saturday! 9-year-old Eli got baptized! It was a great experience! He's a great kid! We also have a family on date to be baptized on the 15th of October! But I'm worried about if I can be there or not because transfers are going to be a little bit different and instead of getting transfer calls on Saturday and going to your new area on Monday we will be getting them on Friday and going to our new areas on Saturday which is the day of the baptism! ah! I hope I stay!

Elder Waite and Eli

Today is going to be a great day! because we are in the prettiest place in Idaho! (besides the temples of course) McCall!! We are going to go on a hike and probably play some basketball later today:) So I'm pretty excited for that of course;)

I hope that everyones week was great! How is school going SJ?? Whats new?? I hope everyone has a great week this week! You are all in my thoughts and prayers! I love you all!

Love,

Elder Waite

Trying to convince mom that he had gained over 30 lbs!
(he was holding a 30 lb weight)
He said he actually has gained about 8 lbs!