A little message from Elder Austin

It was cool getting to talk to all of you yesterday! It's sad saying bye but we only have 2 more skypes left til I get home! Crazy! It really has been flying by. It's so much fun getting to teach and meet all of these people. The crazy ones and the cool ones too! It's definitely been some of the hardest days of my life but the most rewarding too. This is the most important message and gift on this earth. It's blessing my life so much and it's great to see it bless all of these peoples lives too. I've never worked harder in my life, and I love it. No work is more rewarding. This gospel is true. We need to cherish it and share it with all those who don't know about it or who may have forgotten. Nothing with bless our lives more :) Love, Elder Austin

Hola!

So my new area is cool! we're just a small branch up here cause a lot of the people who live here are transient and only stay for ski season and stuff, but it's a great little branch! The people are awesome and willing to help out! My new companion, Elder Quezada, is awesome! He's native to spanish and taught english before his mission, so I'm in luck! He's from Oxnard Shores Cali, but also sorta from Chile! He's old too hahaha he's 2 years older than me....geezer haha ANyways SPANISH! It's coming haha I still am lost in all the lessons and stuff but I can pray carryon a converstation kind of. It's so much fun haha WE teach this awesome family that owns a restaraunt in Fraser and they speak spanishand they're just super cool. They give us food all the time! I can't wait til I can teach and communicate well in spanish! Quiero aprender ahora, pero necessito tiempo! ANyways the teaching has been going pretty well! We've been finding new people to teach like crazy and we have a couple who are progressing really well! ONe guy in particular. His name is Ken and his whole family are members of the church. He's been "investigating" the church for a long time now. Missionaries have deemed him an etern-a-gator because he's never really progressed, but we had an intense lesson with him and his family yesterday and he said he wants to get baptized! Probably this coming sunday! WE're excited because this guy is pretty much a member, he just needed a bit of a push! We also taught another awesome part member family! They want to get baptized the only problem is the parents need to get married!!! WE had a crazy lesson with them about eternal families and the blessings that come with the temple! WE were pretty much invinting them to get married...the things we do as missionaries! They seem like they're going to start progressing really fast! But anyways it was a good end to the week. Hopefully we can keep things rolling!!!!! Love you all!! Elder Austin!

Se Habla Español Elder Austin

Crazy things have been going on this week! Transfers are tomorrow so the missionary world is going crazy! And its official now....I got a call on saturday night saying that I will need learn spanish and that I'm being transfered to a spanish area....I have no idea what I'm getting myself into but it should be fun! I'm gonna miss the foothills ward though. ONly 6 weeks here and I'm already close with a lot of these families, but I'm looking foward to habloing (see my spanish is already good!) WE also have been teaching this awesome family, The McDowell's, and just gave them a date for baptism on friday! I'm bummed I wont be here for it, but send them your prayers so that thewy can continue to progress. Other than that we've almost died a couple times driving in the snow because I kjeep pulling this cool lever thats right by my seat ;) I've also never had so much food in my life. WE ate at a recent converts house and they gave us a huge plate of food, but I was hungry so I went for seconds, and she gave me a plate that was bigger than the first sooo I almost threw up cause I had to eat it all. ANyways I still need to pack all the random junk I've accumulated and some spanish to learn sooooo PEACE!!!

Nick Pics

UPDATE!!!

SO it's been an awesome week here in Lakewood/Golden/wherever I am! WE've been working hard and its been paying off. At the begining of the week we had some guy call us and he was breaking down over the phone talking about how his sister got in a pretty bad accident and how she is comatose (i think thats how you spell it) ANyways we go and see him in this motel where he's staying with a couple other guys and it was pretty sketchy cause it smelled like smoke (cigarrette and the other kind) and they all looked like they wanted to hurt me, but we start talking to the one guy and he seems really interested. We also prayed with him for his sister. Over the next week we keep goig over to see him and he tells us that his sister is somehow remarkably healed and that she's home now and how he wants to be baptized! I also noticed that his roomate was listening a little closer than in past times. He was always there but he never sat in on the lessons, but this time i could see him across the room just listening. SO after the lesson I went up to him and told him about what we do, he was interested ad took a book of mormon. It was such a cool experience to be a part of. I also got a text from the Elders back in The Grand Junction 1st ward (my last area) and they told me how two of the guys that Elder Green and I found are on date for baptism! One of the guys, Steve, Was I guy I talked to on the street. I remember I was riding down the street one day and I passed I guy and didn't talk to him...I felt like poo so I said a prrayer and promised God I would talk to the very next person I saw, no matter what haha So about 2 seconds later I see steve! Turns out he was solid hahaha Yesterday we had about 6 less active members come to church too. There hearts are changing and they're remembering what the gospel has dfone for them in there life. It's for everyone! We all neeed it! Thanks for all the love and support you give me! I need it! your letters and emails are the best! LOVE YOU ALL PEACE OUT!!!! Elder Austin!

The recent email

So I'm in the Foothills Ward now! The area covers parts of Golden Colorado, Lakewood, and just the metro area of Denver. It's like I'm in a whole different mission compared to out west. The way of life is just so different. It looks like I’m in another area that is struggling though... My new companion, Elder Johnson, started his mission with Elder Green so he's a pretty young missionary...like me! He said it’s been tough here. I'm excited though cause the ward seems great! I got to speak at a baptism and be a part of a recent converts confirmation! It was so cool! Elder Johnson said that the past 4 days have been the hardest he’s worked and the most successful he's been in his entire mission, so hopefully things will start looking up. I'm glad everyone is doing well! The whole city is in depression right now because of how bad the Broncos played its kinda crazy haha. It’s weird being in a football town because every single person has Bronco apparel haha!

Nick with a family from Grand Junction :)