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There was a cool experience I had the other day. We went to go contact a referral that we received from a member in another ward and it seemed pretty solid. So we went to the door and he basically shut us down and said he wasn't interested and slammed the door on us. We started heading back to our bikes when he came out and walked his wife to her car (probably to protect her from us haha). All of the sudden I got this strong urge to try again. All I could think about was talk to this guy one more time and see what happens. So I ran after him before he could get inside and basically just bore my testimony and told him a little bit about the Book of Mormon. He was like a whole different person. He seemed interested and grateful for us, and he invited us back next Sunday. I'm glad I followed that prompting. Another cool thing happened on this last p day. We went with the zone leaders to Bangs Canyon, which I think is a part of the Colorado National Monument. We went on this hike that started off pretty cool, just kinda jumping up big rocks and stuff. Next thing I know we're going inside these caves and climbing straight up and out of these holes in the roof. It was so cool. WE kinda had a crazy weekend this past week. So it was our stake conference and Elder Ballard and Elder Hillier came so it was just hectic and insane. My comp and I and the Zone leaders had to be at the church at like 1:30 for some interviews with President Murdock and it was really busy. Anyways I was in my interview with President Murdock and after, I stepped out the door and Elder Ballard was right there. It was crazy! He came up to me and shook my hand and asked me where I was from and stuff. I'd never even seen an apostle before and it was pretty cool to shake his hand and talk for a bit. So then we took Mark Hillier out and it went really well. Conference was great too, and after the Sunday session, Elder Ballard had all the missionaries meet in a room and he gave us a kinda training thing it was really cool. Then after all of that went down we went back out and put 2 more people on date for baptism. It was a good end to the week.

The most recent email from Nick

Hey Everybody- My collar bone broke again :) just kidding it's fine. I've been working out pretty hard this past transfer and its doing fine. I'm glad you're all doing well back home! We had a good week this week. WE've been wokring hard and its paying off. Transfers is coming up next week... I'm alread through my second transfer... its crazy! It'll be interesting to see what will happen this time around. My comp and I helped cut up our members elk this week. He smoked some of it too, and I gave us a whole bunch of it. It's unreal how good it is. Some people say its really gamey but i love it! We also had a crazy thing happen to us this week. A lady from the newpspaper interviewed my comp and I and a few other sisters. A photographer came to one of our lessons too. We thought it would just be a small article in the back of the paper, but on sunday all the members at church brought us copies of it haha they put a picture of me and elder jacobson and a pair of sisters on the front page hahaha it's really wierd but cool too i guess. I'll be sure to send a copy home so you guys can check it out. It's actually a pretty cool article. We also had our primary program this sunday, and it was awesome! Love you all! keep writing and doing your thing! Take care! Check out the article: http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/articles/a-higher-mdash-and-increasingly-younger-mdash-call Love Elder Austin

Elder Austin's email from the 21st

Ooh man we've been having a pretty good week! The leaves are changing colors and they're all over the ground. It's cool to bike through all of it. Sometimes the wind picks up like crazy and all the leaves start flying around like snow... it's really cool. We're about 5 hours away from Denver. We're what they call "over the hill" or "out west" its cool. Grand Junction is what they call I guess an elevated desert? It's still really high but it's kinda dry and stuff. It's been getting cold though. We we're riding around yesterday and I didn't bring my gloves so my hands were frozen and my face too haha! We'll probably start getting snow soon too. (if there is snow we have to ride our bikes anyways) The fall social/trunk or treat/ chili cook off was awesome! It's pretty big here. We had a ton of investigators and non members and less actives show up. They all enjoyed it too. Elder Jacobson and I must be doing something right cause we've been having a lot of good happen to us (knock on wood). We now have 3 investigators on date for baptism. One of them was this lady who came running up to us one day yelling "I missed my elders" she told us that it had been years since she'd met with missionaries and she wanted us to come over. So we did and taught and invited her to baptism. She said she's put it off for too long and that she knows its true. She's on date for November 23! We've had some pretty funny things happen to us lately. Elder Jacobson has eaten it on his bike like 3 times in really funny ways. He's fine though. And I crashed my bike into someones mail box haha I was trying to get dirt off my back tire while riding ( not the smartest thing) and I look up and there was a mail box right in front of me. The guy came out and was laughing and it turned into a good thing ,but anyways right after that we went to a lady’s house and we're sitting there as she forces us to eat ice cream and we start calling each other by the nicknames she gave us ( Jacobson- Prince William, and ME- Harry conick jr.) It was a pretty funny visit. I'm supposed to sing for them next time we're over there cause apparently I’m Harry Conick jr. haha- we did have spiritual experience too. For prep day we usually just play basketball. It’s awesome. We're lucky enough to have a zone with enough somewhat athletic elders in so we can have a decent game going. I've also played soccer and of course nerf. but we don’t do that one as much. We'll probably try to do some cool hikes and climbs soon too. I love you guys! Take care and let me know how you're all doing. SEE YAA Elder Austin

Little update from Pickle

Hey everyone!! So this week we had transfers and i got a new companion. his name is elder jacobson and he's pretty cool. He's 22 from kitty hawk north carolina. been out for about 5 months now. So we're both relatively new but we had a great week. We found 6 new investigators and taught a bunch of people, it was cool. We've been getting real freaky out here in grand junction. people like us and we're just awesome (humble too).. we even got the guy who almost killed us a few weeks ago, to come to church. It was awesome! We actually had the best numbers in the whole district. Taking over the area isn't too bad i kinda know where everything is at so it’s cool. the weather has been pretty nice too. the suns out and the air is cold so its awesome being on bikes. the leaves haven't really started changing colors yet but i think they will. the weather is perfect right now though. we love it! its good to have a companion who is obedient and wants to work too. we're really turning things around out here. He told me that he's going to probably finish my training here and then I'll become district leader and train someone else which is crazy. I guess president talked to him about me. he wants me to be a leader (for some reason) in the mission. nothing too strange or weird happened this week. Just people yelling stuff at us, answering the door pretty much naked, veering their cars at us... normal missionary stuff. hopefully some more crazy fun stuff will happen this week and I'll be able to send you all something interesting! see yaaahh

Elder Austin's latest:

We've been getting rained on a bit out here and they're saying it might get down into the 30s later this week haha I'm pretty excited! Ok so heres a story that's pretty funny- So Elder Reese and I were visiting with a guy who is slightly insane and hates the world, but he's way awesome. He was in the marines and loves to talk about all the ways he would kill the people he doesn't like... it's kinda creepy but pretty funny too haha anyways we were at his place and he was drinking coffee, which we give him a hard time for, and he spilled it all over himself. He just about snapped... He started cussing up a storm and he threw the mug maybe a foot over our heads and it hit the wall behind us, but it didn't break... this just pissed him off even more so he stared spiking the mug of the floor over and over but it wouldn't break. So he threw the entire pot of scalding hot coffee at the wall and just walked into his back room. Elder Reese and I were trying our best not to laugh, cause if he knew that we were laughing he'd probably kill us haha but then he comes back out in new clothes and just goes back to talking to us hahah it was terrifying, funny and awesome! I’m staying for the next transfer but my trainer is leaving. They're having me take over the area which is pretty intimidating but its all good! I had my first baptism yesterday! I got to confirm her and give her the Holy Ghost it was pretty awesome. The area is still moving slow though. I'll meet my new companion tomorrow too, so that should be fun. They said as of tomorrow over 50% of the mission will consist of missionaries who have only been out for 3 months or less! It’s a greenie mission out here haha

Elder Austin's Second Email

Hey hope everyone is doing well out there! I’m glad you liked the bike video too, that hill is pretty huge. WE're pretty much in the desert so there aren’t too many mountains haha and I did have a bike accident but I survived and I’m completely fine. The whole front wheel on my bike came off when I was riding pretty fast and I ate it pretty hard. My hands are a little scraped up but that’s it. Anyways things are going well out here. Elder Reese and I are sitting down with families in the ward and writing up plans with them for how they can share the gospel with EVERYONE they know. I heard an interesting and shocking thing the other day that came from the first presidency of the church. They said that within a year since the announcement of the age change, the missionary force will have doubled. By next year there will be over 100,000 missionaries. They also said that the age change and missionary work today is just as important/influential/ vital as the coming of the Book of Mormon... that’s insane! The first presidency said that the things that are happening today with missionary work are just as important as Joseph Smith translating the Book of Mormon and restoring the church. It’s kinda hard to comprehend –haha. It’s weird that we're living in a time like this. My companion and I tell the members when we talk about missionary work that the Lord doesn't scramble the jets for no reason. All this change is happening for a reason, we just need to do our part and share the gospel as best we can. Anyways I love you all so much and hope you have an awesome week! Keep sending the letters and the packages, they're life savers at times haha Tell everyone I said hi and I love em Love, Elder Austin

A View of Grand Junction from Elder Austin