"So this week we were able to watch Meet the Mormons on Tuesday."

How is it going everyone? So this week we were able to watch Meet the Mormons on Tuesday. It is a really great movie and portrays the members of the church as normal people. I really like it and would recommend it.  For the General Conference Saturday sessions, all the missionaries were at a families house who own 140 acres of land in the mountain including their house which is on the peak of one.  We watched the conference in their theater room with reclined leather couches haha, super nice.  In between the morning and afternoon sessions (12 to 2) we helped them put up fences for their property and cleared out some brush for more fencing, and doing that I got to drive their side-by-side. It is a 900 razor, which was a ton of fun going on dirt roads up in the mountains.  For  the Sunday session, we went to a part member, less-active family's home and watched the morning session with them, and for the afternoon we watched it at our ward mission leader's house with the Spanish Missionaries.  As for the rest of the week, we spent it going to member homes, both active and less-active, inviting them to invite others to watch conference and to share something about it before and after on social media.  So this week has been pretty good.  This morning I went with the Zone Leaders and played tennis, which was a lot of fun.  I am actually not that bad, so it was pretty fun haha, just like playing it right before I left.  So transfers are this week, so I might be leaving to my 2nd area, but it is all up in the air -  but most likely I will have a new companion whether I leave or not.  I hope to hear from everyone soon. I miss you all, and will do my best to take more pictures Mom, haha maybe.

Love,
Elder Austin
(this update was emailed to everyone

on Oct. 6th)

"Guess working with your dad would come in handy out here."

So this week on P-day we played zone versus zone football, which was a lot of fun. We had enough missionaries to where our team, so we could have an offense and a defense haha.  I played as running back and got a couple of touchdowns, because a lot of people are slow haha.  This week we did exchanges and I stayed in our area, so I was in charge for the day. We knocked on a lot of doors and me and Elder Hernandez had a good time doing it.  We have been helping this guy build a barn, and I have been on the roof using a nail gun putting in plywood and after that we put waterproofing on top of that, and I cut it with a razor.  At first one of the other missionaries was trying to cut the waterproofing with the razor and absolutely shredding it doing it.  So I was like "I'll do it" and I cut a clean, straight line in one try haha.  Guess working with you dad would come in handy out here.  [Elder Austin's dad is a floor installer.]  We also had zone training this week, which mainly had to do with district leaders and the changes around leadership.  Oh, and I will be watching "Meet the Mormons" here exclusively for missionaries on Tuesday, so that is exciting.  We went over and had a lesson with Mackenzie, and Kailee walked out and talked to us.  She was still really friendly, but we aren't sure if she is still interested. We will work on that in the upcoming week.  We met with the less active mother who wants her kids to be baptized, and she said they were going to try to make it to church, but didn't end up coming, so we are going to have to help them to know the importance of it and the blessings that come from it as well.  She has a sincere desire for her kids to be baptized, but is still uncomfortable coming back to church.  Remember them in your prayers.  Hope you guys are doing great and I hope to talk to you all soon!!

Love,
Elder Austin

So basically I have become a professional mover here in Castle Rock haha.

So for this week - We've done a lot of service.  On Monday we went back to Castle Wood Canyon which was a lot of fun. One of the elders right in front of me almost stepped on a rattlesnake on the trail. It was about four feet long, and it started rattling like crazy.  We mainly ran across the top of the canyon, and I climbed a bit on the rock faces which was fun.  This week we helped move a lady who is leaving the area. We helped her move her stuff into a storage unit a couple of weeks ago, and now we were moving it from the unit into a truck. I ended up being the guy almost stuck in the back of the truck cramming stuff in to fit it tight haha.  We also helped a guy in our area move from one house to another in our area so we were moving stuff in and out, and also while we were doing service for a member, we ran over to help this family move in close by, they were really grateful because there were like eight of us, and we got it done pretty fast.  So basically I have become a professional mover here in Castle Rock haha.  We also were helping a member family landscape their yard.  We were leveling out the ground the way they wanted it  -  laying down rocks and mulch and digging holes for plants.  It was a lot of fun, but the worst part about it was that the dirt was filled with big rocks, so digging and leveling took some effort haha, but we got it all done.  We have been teaching lessons with families in the ward and that has been going really well.  We have been trying to meet with the less-active sister in our ward who wants her kids to be baptized.  She hasn't made it to church yet, so we are going to be working with them this week.  We also are going to try to meet with other less-actives as well.  We still haven't been able to find investigators, but we are working on it.  Through hard work, I have truly strengthened my faith no matter the results we get.  And I know that I will continue to do my best and let the Lord take over the work here.  I hope you guys are doing great and I'll talk to you soon!

Love,
Elder Austin

"...Friday morning it actually snowed!! - in September!!

Week of September 15th update:  

So this week was transfers, me and Elder Shepherd are still together for a third transfer which is pretty crazy!  We have two new elders in our district so it has been fun.  Since Elder Shepherd is District Leader now, we will be going on exchanges a lot, so I have the opportunity a lot to be senior companion in our area.  Oh, and Friday morning it actually snowed!!  - in September!!  Apparently this winter is going to be brutal, so I'm in for it haha. Anyways, this week has been going pretty well but still no investigators, but we will keep praying for them.  I went on exchanges with Elder Rodriguez this week.  He is a visa waiter and a Spanish missionary who is 7 months out, and while we were on exchanges he got a call that he got his visa!  So that was pretty cool.  He leaves to Brazil at the end of the transfer.  On exchanges we went around our area and tried to set up some appointments with less actives in our ward.  No one ended up being home, but while I was pointing out the one massive house at the end of our neighborhood, we decided to go knock it.  It has its own road and a whole gate that we hopped over haha.  We knocked the door and the lady wasn't interested, but she asked how we got through the gate, and I just told her straight up we hopped it, hahaha.  She informed us it was private property, but that was all that really happened, but it was something to remember.  We went around our area a lot and me and Elder Shepherd are going to try and continue to do the same.  Love you guys and hope you are doing well. I love my area and am glad to be here!! Talk to you soon!

Love,
Elder Austin

"Its amazing how much of yourself you find when you aren't worried about yourself."

So this past week has been kinda everywhere, but it still was a good week.  So to start off for transfers me and Elder Shepherd are staying here in the Foothills ward for a third transfer! Which is really rare, but it will be fun.  We have basically lost all contact with K... now, we are not completely sure what happened or what was going on, because now she won't respond to us so we don't know.  We still continue to pray for her, but thats all we can do right now.  We got to me with this family this week where the Mom is a less active member and her kids, ages 9 and 11, are not.  But they said they are going to start coming to church on Sundays, and then we will start the lessons with them.  The kids with the support of their mom are going to work towards baptism, so that is pretty exciting.  We also got to meet with a Part Member, Recent Convert, Less Active family haha lot of stuff.  The daughter B... was baptized last year, the Mother and the Son are not members and the father is a less active member.  We have been trying to get a hold of them since we got here, but they are never home.  Recently B... who is active, invited her parents to do the Book of Mormon challenge with her and they accepted! And the ward has really been working hard with them and they set up a dinner for us there.  They are a really great family, and you wouldn't even know the mom isn't a member.  After dinner we shared a thought on the first vision and the Spirit was so strong, both the father and the mother were in tears, so we are excited to continue to work with them over the transfer.  I love it here in Castle Rock and will do my best to help all the people here. Its amazing how much of yourself you find when you aren't worried about yourself.  I miss you guys and ill talk to you soon!

Love,
Elder Austin

"It's great to realize that teaching comes really easy to me now and that I can really help the people I am teaching."

We were able to meet with a good amount of families (members) this week and teach them in their homes.  It's great to realize that teaching comes really easy to me now, and that I can really help the people I am teaching.  We were able to meet with the family with the two nonmember boys who want to get baptized.  We taught them about the plan of salvation, and they were really excited about everything. They have been taught by the missionaries for a while now, but their mother won't give the consent for them to be baptized, so they can't.  Their dad was less active for years, but since last year has been active and working to receive the Melchizedek priesthood.  We went over to K..  a lot last week and she was really committed to go through with her baptism on Saturday. But at 10 am on Sunday morning we got a text from her saying that ...  her parents said if she goes to church any more that she has to live somewhere else, so we are in a really tough situation right now at the moment.  She needs all of your prayers.  We are going to try to help her through this, but we have to figure out what is going on first.  She really wants to go through with this, but I don't know how she can if her parents are threatening her this way.  We are going to pray and fast for her and do what we can, so we will see what happens.  I love you guys and I am happy you are all doing well hope to hear from you and talk to you soon!

Love,
Elder Austin

The Book of Mormon brings power in teaching and in spirituality overall.

Hey everyone - 

I'm not going to be able to write much this week, but I'll try to cover most of it.  To start off we had an appointment with K... this week on Tuesday, but we went over and she ended up not being home, so we texted her later that day and had to reschedule for Saturday. We went over and she ended up not being present again, but Mackenzie called her and said she would be there in about and hour, so we ended up waiting until she arrived.  The lesson overall went really well, but as always her two year old son Liam took it over a lot of the time, by pulling on his mom's scriptures and identify each part of my face by poking it  haha.  She said she was going to try to make it to church which is good but it has been a while.  I felt impressed to fast Sunday morning and pray that she would make it to church.  We were worried as always at church, because she has missed about 5 weeks in a row - but she made it!  She really enjoyed church and said she will definitely be there next week, so her baptism is scheduled for the 31st.  The power of fasting is real, and I am so thankful that I decided to do that.  It's funny that Jo also had great blessings come from fasting this week.  I can't wait to here from you guys and I'll talk to you soon!

Love,
Elder Austin  8/25/2014

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A letter received from Elder Austin on Tuesday:    8/20/2014:

Dear Family,

How is it going everyone??  Any exciting things happening lately or coming up soon?  So for us, we have been setting up lessons with families to help them invite friends to church for talks/baptisms or other things so our afternoons are starting to get filled here.  I really love all the members here and enjoy visiting with all of them.  Over half the members in the ward moved here in the past year, so it is a very young ward.  Our work with K... is still going well, but she can't get baptized until she starts coming to church.  We are going to do our best to help her feel the Spirit as we teach and help her understand to recognize it as well.  Her determination amazes me and continues to as well.  We are going to do a lot more finding next week to try and get some potentials ourselves, so we will see how it goes.  So how is Seminary Jake??  How is driving coming along?!  When I get home we are definitely going to jet ski and parasail.  So what is everyone up to on a daily basis?  Still 'shimming' Jake??  Sunny still working out? So I still absolutely hate working out in the morning, so I end up doing it after we get home.  No hurricanes coming in this year?  I know my car is getting fixed soon.  Have fun with it before Jo steals it from you Jake haha.  It's weird to think that Jo will be home early next year.  It's still pretty far, but not really.  When I first got here, I started the Book of Mormon at Helaman and finished it, and about last week I finished it again all the way through, so I will definitely start reading it again.  The Book of Mormon brings power in teaching and in spirituality overall.  If you want to have a good day, start it off with some meaningful Book of Mormon study! The blessings that come from just reading a bit a day are incredible, and it will allow you to be guided by the Spirit for the rest of your day.  I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be here in Colorado and even though I miss you guys a lot, I know where I am supposed to be and I wouldn't have it any other way.  I miss you all so much and hope to hear from you either through email or letters.  Keep doing what you're doing and I'll see you soon!!

Elder Austin, III

(He's the third Elder Austin out as a missionary!)