For information about Keller, Texas you can read at the following link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keller,_Texas
Have a great day!
Nathan's Dad
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Transfer and Mission Leadership
Well I usually worry about not having enough to write about, but then something unexpected happens and then there is plenty. We had 22 missionaries going home this last transfer, and we didn't get quite as many so a lot of the areas including mine that had two sets of missionaries are back down to one. I am now serving in the Fossil Ridge area in Keller, Texas, in the Hurst Stake as a district leader. My new companion's name is Elder Whittier, and he is from Virginia. Oh and did I mention that I'm on a bike.
Fossil Ridge from what I have heard has been a great area lately. We currently have 5 dates set and the member support seems to be really good. From what I have seen it seems to be a pretty middle class/upper middle class place. There are a lot of homes about our size, except they all seem to be 10+ years newer.
I'm not sure about this whole leadership thing yet. So far all I have had to do is collect and report numbers from my district. I hear the only other real responsibility is to give trainings at district meeting. I think that leadership positions make you think about your focus and how good of an example for younger missionaries you are being.
Elder Whittier seems to be a great missionary. He has been out one less transfer than I have, and loves hard work. He grew up on a cattle ranch and his dad is a Vet at Virginia Tech. He likes country music but he has a good sense of humor, so I think we will get along great. He has been on a bike his entire mission so he is a bit faster than me right now, but I keep up alright. I am excited for this transfer.
After a long day riding around on a bike in 94 degrees and some humidity I slept very well. I am excited for this new experience, and super excited to be in an area where the focus isn't finding :)
I love y'all
Elder Rindlisbacher
Fossil Ridge from what I have heard has been a great area lately. We currently have 5 dates set and the member support seems to be really good. From what I have seen it seems to be a pretty middle class/upper middle class place. There are a lot of homes about our size, except they all seem to be 10+ years newer.
I'm not sure about this whole leadership thing yet. So far all I have had to do is collect and report numbers from my district. I hear the only other real responsibility is to give trainings at district meeting. I think that leadership positions make you think about your focus and how good of an example for younger missionaries you are being.
Elder Whittier seems to be a great missionary. He has been out one less transfer than I have, and loves hard work. He grew up on a cattle ranch and his dad is a Vet at Virginia Tech. He likes country music but he has a good sense of humor, so I think we will get along great. He has been on a bike his entire mission so he is a bit faster than me right now, but I keep up alright. I am excited for this transfer.
After a long day riding around on a bike in 94 degrees and some humidity I slept very well. I am excited for this new experience, and super excited to be in an area where the focus isn't finding :)
I love y'all
Elder Rindlisbacher
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Finding a New Investigator
Time is a bit shorter today. We had a pizza party that we won as a zone from a competition as the mission and then I got stuck playing a game of Risk. Don't worry, it was completely worth it. I won.
Thank you for all of the packages and letters this week. I got two of the packages yesterday, and the letters today. From the pictures it looks like the kids have already changed a bit since I left. Crazy. It is always great to get updates from people. And the shirts will be great. I was down to two short sleeve shirts and it has been in the low 90's with humidity. Gross.
The work is still a little slow. We are trying all sorts of things to find more people to teach. I think that this area might be going back down to one companionship next transfer, which is next week. The transfers are flying!!!
We don't have much of an area book in our apartment, so when I went on exchange last week and stayed in the others apartment in the evening I went through some old records and wrote down some names with their information. I got four names that sounded pretty promising. Two were bad phone numbers one was already being worked with by other missionaries, and I was able to set up an appointment with one. We went and visited her last night. After visiting for a while I asked her why she had stopped meeting with the missionaries. She said that one set of missionaries came and told her that they were both being transferred and left a number for her to reach the new missionaries. She tried calling the new number after she hadn't heard from the new missionaries and it was a bad number. She seems very interested and she has read a bit from the Book of Mormon.
I know that the Lord blesses us for our obedience and hard work. I will continue striving to be more obedient and more hardworking until the end.
Love, Elder Rindlisbacher
PS: Pride and Prejudice is way worse than Lord of the Rings.
Thank you for all of the packages and letters this week. I got two of the packages yesterday, and the letters today. From the pictures it looks like the kids have already changed a bit since I left. Crazy. It is always great to get updates from people. And the shirts will be great. I was down to two short sleeve shirts and it has been in the low 90's with humidity. Gross.
The work is still a little slow. We are trying all sorts of things to find more people to teach. I think that this area might be going back down to one companionship next transfer, which is next week. The transfers are flying!!!
We don't have much of an area book in our apartment, so when I went on exchange last week and stayed in the others apartment in the evening I went through some old records and wrote down some names with their information. I got four names that sounded pretty promising. Two were bad phone numbers one was already being worked with by other missionaries, and I was able to set up an appointment with one. We went and visited her last night. After visiting for a while I asked her why she had stopped meeting with the missionaries. She said that one set of missionaries came and told her that they were both being transferred and left a number for her to reach the new missionaries. She tried calling the new number after she hadn't heard from the new missionaries and it was a bad number. She seems very interested and she has read a bit from the Book of Mormon.
I know that the Lord blesses us for our obedience and hard work. I will continue striving to be more obedient and more hardworking until the end.
Love, Elder Rindlisbacher
PS: Pride and Prejudice is way worse than Lord of the Rings.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Humidity
Not a whole lot has really changed or been going on. We are slowly seeing our teaching pool increase. Last Tuesday we were out with a member in the evening and we had our appointments fall through. I asked him if he could think of anyone that could benefit from a visit from the missionaries. He said he couldn't think of anyone from off the top of his head but he asked for the ward list. He chose a sister who the other missionaries had already visited but we agreed. She was a recent convert of just a couple of months. She has been fairly active, but has been under the weather recently. When we went to visit her she let us in and we shared a spiritual thought with her and her sister. We invited her sister out to church and we should be starting to teach her this up coming week.
Yesterday was a pretty rough day for me. It has been hot and humid. Humidity, I have discovered, means you are uncomfortable. We went tracting and we were knocking doors. When we returned to the car, my companion pointed out that I had a huge set stain that had picked up dirt off of my backpack and looked rather large and disgusting. We tracted a bit for an hour or so more and then did some stop byes. I decided we better go in so that I could change before dinner and our appointments in the evening. I changed my white shirt and it felt great to be dry and in the cool apartment again. Our exchange was a little late so I decided to update some things on our board we have in the room. After I finished updating the board I was trying to cap the marker and it slipped and marked about a four inch line on the front of my last clean short sleeve shirt. arghhhhhhhhhhhhh! Anyways I'll get over it, I just hope that it comes out in the wash.
I had the option of going to visit the new Dallas Cowboy stadium today. It cost $18 bucks so I decided not to. My companion is there so I am with my district, Elder Togogae and Misustin. Sometimes it is good to get a break from your companion.
I'm sorry I cut y'all off there at the end of our phone call. I realized that my time was seconds from being up and I had to go. I think Nicki was trying to ask me a question, and I'd love to answer it if she would send a letter and ask. I loved visiting with y'all and it sounds like everyone is doing great. Keep it up. I love y'all very much.
Love Elder Rindlisbacher
Yesterday was a pretty rough day for me. It has been hot and humid. Humidity, I have discovered, means you are uncomfortable. We went tracting and we were knocking doors. When we returned to the car, my companion pointed out that I had a huge set stain that had picked up dirt off of my backpack and looked rather large and disgusting. We tracted a bit for an hour or so more and then did some stop byes. I decided we better go in so that I could change before dinner and our appointments in the evening. I changed my white shirt and it felt great to be dry and in the cool apartment again. Our exchange was a little late so I decided to update some things on our board we have in the room. After I finished updating the board I was trying to cap the marker and it slipped and marked about a four inch line on the front of my last clean short sleeve shirt. arghhhhhhhhhhhhh! Anyways I'll get over it, I just hope that it comes out in the wash.
I had the option of going to visit the new Dallas Cowboy stadium today. It cost $18 bucks so I decided not to. My companion is there so I am with my district, Elder Togogae and Misustin. Sometimes it is good to get a break from your companion.
I'm sorry I cut y'all off there at the end of our phone call. I realized that my time was seconds from being up and I had to go. I think Nicki was trying to ask me a question, and I'd love to answer it if she would send a letter and ask. I loved visiting with y'all and it sounds like everyone is doing great. Keep it up. I love y'all very much.
Love Elder Rindlisbacher
Thursday, May 6, 2010
My Missionary Life
Texas is humid. It got up into the 80's yesterday I think and it felt like 100. It was pretty killer. Before dinner at a members I decided to change my shirt. We ate at the Black's house last night. Brother Black is a pediatric surgeon and lives in a very nice home, but he also lives across the street from an NBA player who plays for the Denver Nuggets. The NBA player's home is huge. From what I hear it is 18,000 sq ft. That is ridiculous.
Mom was asking for a break down of how a regular day goes, so here it is. We wake up at 6:25 and are out the door at 6:30 for 30 minutes of exercise. Then from 7-8 we have time to eat breakfast and shower and get dressed. At 8 o'clock we hit the books for an hour of personal study. Then at 9 we have a companion study, where we talk about what we studied during personal study, recite something, read from the white handbook, and then role play teaching situations. We head out the door at 10 and teach and find until 9 or 9:30pm except for an hour at lunch and dinner.
On preparation day, every Thursday, our morning routine is the same except that after studies we spend 30 minutes cleaning the apartment. Then we have from 10:30 until 6pm to take care of all of our preparations. We usually have some sort of physical activity, shop, laundry, email, write letters, and listen to music other than Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I am usually quite tired after a p-day.
I still don't know a ton of people in the ward, but the people I have met are really a great group. We cover a part of a place called Dalworthington Gardens witch is a super nice area. We also cover a place called Stop 6 which is super ghetto.
We haven't been teaching a ton yet, but it is slowly picking up. We are finding more and more people through tracting, but it feels really slow. I see the Lord blessing us as we strive to work harder and be obedient. President Thurston interviewed us this week and let me know that our area has enough work for one set of Elders, but sometimes not enough for two. I hope that isn't a hint that I will be transferred next transfer, but if that is the case it wont kill me.
The mail dry spell has ended. Aside from immediate family, it had been 8 weeks since I had gotten mail. I got an email from Kyle and it sounds like the weather is crazy where he is as well. He is getting snowed on right now. I'll take the heat over the cold any day.
Love, Elder Rindlisbacher
Sunday is Mothers Day!! I will call at 4pm my time, or 2pm for y'all I think. I am very excited to visit with y'all. Last phone call was not long after I had left, and there wasn't a ton to talk about. I will have no more than 40 minutes to visit with y'all and I plan on being obedient.
Mom was asking for a break down of how a regular day goes, so here it is. We wake up at 6:25 and are out the door at 6:30 for 30 minutes of exercise. Then from 7-8 we have time to eat breakfast and shower and get dressed. At 8 o'clock we hit the books for an hour of personal study. Then at 9 we have a companion study, where we talk about what we studied during personal study, recite something, read from the white handbook, and then role play teaching situations. We head out the door at 10 and teach and find until 9 or 9:30pm except for an hour at lunch and dinner.
On preparation day, every Thursday, our morning routine is the same except that after studies we spend 30 minutes cleaning the apartment. Then we have from 10:30 until 6pm to take care of all of our preparations. We usually have some sort of physical activity, shop, laundry, email, write letters, and listen to music other than Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I am usually quite tired after a p-day.
I still don't know a ton of people in the ward, but the people I have met are really a great group. We cover a part of a place called Dalworthington Gardens witch is a super nice area. We also cover a place called Stop 6 which is super ghetto.
We haven't been teaching a ton yet, but it is slowly picking up. We are finding more and more people through tracting, but it feels really slow. I see the Lord blessing us as we strive to work harder and be obedient. President Thurston interviewed us this week and let me know that our area has enough work for one set of Elders, but sometimes not enough for two. I hope that isn't a hint that I will be transferred next transfer, but if that is the case it wont kill me.
The mail dry spell has ended. Aside from immediate family, it had been 8 weeks since I had gotten mail. I got an email from Kyle and it sounds like the weather is crazy where he is as well. He is getting snowed on right now. I'll take the heat over the cold any day.
Love, Elder Rindlisbacher
Sunday is Mothers Day!! I will call at 4pm my time, or 2pm for y'all I think. I am very excited to visit with y'all. Last phone call was not long after I had left, and there wasn't a ton to talk about. I will have no more than 40 minutes to visit with y'all and I plan on being obedient.
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