Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Howdy Howdy from West Virginia!

May 26, 2015

Dear Family,

How's it going y'all? I'm sorry that this letter came in so late. Unfortunately, all the libraries were closed during Memorial Day, so I wasn't able to get access to a computer. I hope I didn't worry you guys. If I did, I greatly apologize.

Man, I'm so happy for Jessica Starr right now! I bet that she will do awesome at the North Carolina Charlotte Mission. The people there will be greatly blessed to have her. Be sure to give her my best wishes.

Now, you're all probably wondering what's been going in the last few days. Well, Elder McMullin got transferred to Salem, Virginia and Elder Varner is now my new companion. As I said in my last e-mail, the district has not changed very much. Elder Varner is from Las Vegas, Nevada (maybe Elder Max Alley will meet some Varners on his mission ;) ).

Other than that, not much to report. It was a slow week for missionary work. But we did have a fun day of church basketball with the district on P-Day. There was even a member family called the Haroldsens who invited us over for a barbecue dinner. It was fun and delicious. Well, I think that's everything. I love you all and miss you all. Take care everyone.

Hurrah for Israel!

Love,

Elder Michael Alley

P.S. Yes, I did get the package with the sunscreen. I haven't seen much of a difference yet. I'll keep using it and let you know what happens in my next e-mail. Also, I have not heard about these *"black boxes". We just keep track of the miles in these mile logs in our cars. I hope that's everything. I love you Mom. Hurrah for Israel!

* In the Spokane Mission, all the mission cars were just outfitted with "black boxes" that monitor all kinds of data: miles driven, where the car is driven, how long it's in each area, speed, erratic driving, etc. Each driver of the vehicle has their own card that they log in with before they can drive the car. All the info from the black box is constantly being sent out to Salt Lake. If there are any "irregularities" (ie safety, law or mission violations), the mission president is notified. Infractions can result in suspension of driving privileges either temporarily or permanently. I'd asked Michael if he'd heard about this and if his mission would be getting them, too. 

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Here's the News from Parkersburg, WV!

May 20, 2015

Dear Family,

Well gang, transfer week is here once again and here are the results: I will be staying here in the Parkersburg North area but my new companion will be Elder Varner. This transfer is interesting because Elder Varner is already a member of our district, so the only changes to our district is that Elder McMullin is leaving for somewhere in Virginia and Elder Boar is the new district leader. Interesting, very interesting.

Well, to be honest, there really isn't much to report (I believe my definition of "not much to report" is more accurate than Mom's definition, lol ;). This week has been a really slow week. It seems like the only times that we are actually teaching is when we are invited to a member's house (whether they are active, less-active, or a recent convert) for dinner. For the most part, we are trying to visit some potential and former investigators but for some reason we just can't catch them at home. We then just walk around the neighborhood trying to talk to people on the streets and they're either not interested or they just keep walking by. I'm sorry that this report sounds a little negative but the work is moving really slow.

However, if there is anything about this entire mission experience that I like, it's developing a great love for the scriptures, the word of God. Since coming out here in the mission, my love for reading and hearing the word of God from scriptures and living prophets and apostles has increased dramatically. The Spirit of the Lord really is powerful when you're learning about God's dealing with the people in the old days and the eternal perspective of life itself. I promise that even if I can't get a single person to learn about the Gospel, I will have become more converted to the Lord than I was before coming out on my mission.

Even though there's not teaching going on, please know that my love for the Lord and for you continues to grow. I love you all and miss you all. Take care everyone.

Hurrah for Israel!

Love,

Elder Michael Alley

Monday, May 11, 2015

Hey Ya'll

At 10:45am (PST), Elder Michael Alley was our first Skype call of the day. 
He called from their ward's clerk office. A previous bishop set up Skype on the 
computer in there so missionaries could use it on Christmas and Mother's Day. 
I thought that was genius. Michael had a quiet, private space to talk and 
he didn't have to coordinate with a member family's Mother's Day schedule.
It was another missionary miracle for us because Mike ended up getting to 
talk to all three of our missionaries even though he was flying all day. He just 
"happened" to have quick layovers during the times our missionaries were 
able to call. We know that was no coincidence. That was another tender mercy 
from Heavenly Father.

May 11, 2015

Dear Family,

How's it going y'all? Thank you so much for the awesome Skype time. I'm sorry that I cried a bit. I didn't mean to get so teary-eyed, but please know that this just shows how much I love and miss you all. As much as I enjoy reading your letters and e-mails, I really miss hearing your voices and seeing your faces. To be honest, knowing that serving a mission would require me to have a limited communication with you all was the main reason why I hesitated to go serve a mission. This kind of sacrifice is neither easy or fun. However, I believe that if I didn't make this kind of sacrifice then I would never have known how much my family means to me. So if you think about it, it is a blessing disguised as a hardship.

Anyway, just wanted to send you a quick shout out that I love you all and miss you all. I also want to give you a heads up and let you know that next week is transfer week, so my next e-mail will come in on Wednesday. Take care y'all.

Hurrah for Israel!

Love,

Elder Michael Alley

Monday, May 4, 2015

Can't Wait for Mother's Day!

May 4, 2015

Dear Family,

How's it going y'all? As the title says, I can't wait for Mother's Day when I get to talk/skype everyone again! This Sunday is going to be awesome! The plan right now is that Elder McMullin, Elder Hollembeak, Elder Lane, and I (all of us serve in the Parkersburg Ward) will be skyping from the church building sometime after 1:00 p.m. (10:00 a.m. your time I believe). I did get the Skype login info along with the cookie package. Just in case that there is a change in plan, I will call you this Saturday to let you know. (My cell phone number on caller I.D. might register as West Virginia). Anyway, that's the plan right now.

Now, you're all probably wondering what's going on here in the Parkersburg North area of the West Virginia Charleston Mission. To be honest, it was slow. We got to set up an appointment with one of our potential investigators, while the rest were either not home or not interested. Still, one is better than nothing, right? ;) The one highlight of my week was that President Salisbury came and interviewed us. I love President Salisbury because he is just so kind and gives wonderful counsel. I really hope that you guys get to meet him sometime. Trust me, you will love him. I'll tell you more about it during skype.

Unfortunately, that's all I have to report. But I do want you to know that I do have a testimony that Jesus Christ is our Savior. I know that the church is true and that Book of Mormon really is another witness of Jesus Christ. I promise that no hardships are going to make me change my mind about it. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. I love you all and miss you all. I will see you this Sunday.

Hurrah for Israel!

Love,

Elder Michael Alley