Training again!

Transfers were this past week.  Hyrum is staying in Thousand Oaks, but will now be a Trainer instead of a District Leader.  So, this past Wednesday, he got a brand new missionary that he will train for the next 6 weeks.  He was super excited to be training again.  He loves his new companion.  He is a hard worker, loves to work out and will go running with Hyrum.  Hyrum says he does about 100-140 pushups and sit-ups each morning.  Wow!  He's going to come home all buff!!

Hyrum's District

Transfer process, but Hyrum isn't in the picture

Next transfer, we will be in a car share with another set of missionaries. That means that half of the time we will be biking. WooHoo! For the last three days the temperature has been near 100! Yesterday was especially bad in suits. Our area is full of hills. This car share will be a great experience for a new missionary. I remember being on full bikes my first two transfers. It was great for me. Plus, being on the bikes will give us more opportunities to meet people as we go.

Madelene, is set for baptism on July 9th! We were able to get into a home with twin 13 year old boys. They sent us off with a carton of fresh eggs from their chickens and as we were leaving, the family said "see you soon!" Although they did not set a return appointment, it sounds like they expect us back. . . They know some members of the ward.  I love this area so much. Even though the area is geographically small, biking is going to be a challenge. There are a lot of hills and we live out of our area. Still, being visible on bikes will be good.

Here's a picture of a dead rat some other elders put on our car.  Not cool!

Hyrum spoke in church on Father's Day.  He spoke about the similarities between his earthly father and his Heavenly Father.  It must have been really good, because one member took notes and then typed them and emailed his talk to us!  Another member sent me a text and let me know how much she enjoyed Hyrum's talk and that he is a wonderful missionary.  Hyrum told them about our family tradition of shooting prairie dogs on July 4th.  I guess that got a laugh from everyone.  He did clarify that we do it because they eat the pasture the cows need and make holes the horses could step in and brake a leg.  I think that was a totally foreign concept for the California people :)  They loved his stories about his dad.

Hyrum at a District Leader Training

  

100 Days Left!

Monday, June 6 means Hyrum has 100 days left until he returns home!!  It will feel so good to be in the double digits.  Hyrum's letters continue to be short, but wonderful.  We love hearing from him.  A few weeks ago, on a Preparation Day, Hyrum, his companion and two other missionaries went mountain biking with non-member and had a great time!

Andy, the man who took Hyrum and three other elders mountain biking, let me borrow a mountain bike.  Andy gave us a few tips and we were off.  Long story short, mountain biking is rougher than I thought.  There were lots of rocks which made it difficult to keep traction and balance.  One elder brought a hybrid bike.  The wheels were kind of narrow and not make for trail riding.  This was his first time too.  The other elders had some experience with mountain biking, so they went ahead.  The elder with the hybrid bike struggled to stay up, so I stayed back with him.  For once, I was the kid who everyone waited for and who doesn't get a rest.  Overall, I really liked the experience.  I had no problem physically, strength-wise, but I lacked technique.  Mountain biking is something that I think I could really enjoy.

Elder Ruby's District while he served as District Leader

Here is a poem President Felix sent to the missionaries:

Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu.
When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too.

I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin
When he smiled I realized I'd passed it on to him.

I thought about that smile then I realized it's worth,
A single smile, just like mine, could travel round the earth.

So, if you feel a smile begin, don't leave it undetected.
Let's start an epidemic quick, and get the world infected!

At the end of May, Hyrum wrote:
The days are long.  We seem to be walking the streets trying to talk with everyone, but we are yeilding little results.  What keeps me going are the little miracles that come from nowhere.  At 8:50pm we ran into an Asian man waxing his car in his garage.  We bore our testimony of the blessings that have come to us because of the restored gospel.  He really liked what we had to say and gave us his personal phone number and asked about church.  He said he had to talk with his fiance about coming to church first.  Yesterday, we ate dinner with some members who invited some non-member friends over.  We watched the beginning of the Sunday morning session of General Conference and listened to President Monson speak.  Tonight, we called a member up to set up a short visit with their family and they told us that their girls have friends who are interested.  All these moments make the long days worth it.

I know this is God's work.  I know He loves us with all his heart, might, mind and strength.  I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior.  I know that Joseph Smith was the prophet called to restore Christ's church and priesthood authority upon the earth.