Another Week in Woodstock

Well, this week was full of fun. We had a lot of service done around the area. Elder Floyd got a threat of being put in an ambulance! Haha! But it was a fun week! We did a lot of finding, but didn't find anyone to really teach! Also the Zone Leaders from Kitchner traveled with us so I got to serve in Kitchner for a day with Elder Romney! It was a joy and a pleasure! The Zone Leaders are way busy so it was a busy day, and I got to see the life of a Zone Leader! Sunday we taught Sharing time in Primary, the class in church for the little kids! I sat next to Hudson who is a cool little kid. He played with the watch Shanel gave and loved it. I let him wear it for primary! I didn't think the little guy could read, but ugh kids are way to smart. He thought that it was funny a girl signed the back of the missionaries watch! Our lesson was how Jesus went about doing good. And at the end we had them color pictures of something they could do good this week. Hudson and I made a picture of us going out to teach people about Jesus! I didn't do to well in writing in my journal this week! I also lost it this week on Elder Floyd. Poor guy! He got to learn how a metal hanger feels! My patience went, he thinks it is funny to spray my face with a spray bottle whenever... and well after 2 weeks I had enough, of nice asking and hiding the dumb bottle. So I started my slashing with the hanger, to the point of drawing blood off him and then I get the bottle of water in my gut where I have a bruise now. After the struggle we went to church! Oh joy! Sense then we have talked and he now knows how much I hate being sprayed in the face with water all the time, and knows when I ask nicely to stop he needs to stop. Its been hard for me this transfer. My companion questions everything about the gospel and seems he doesn't really want to be out here so It makes me not want to work, because I feel like a hypocrite out there with him. But pressing forward none the less. He is also all out of money so now I have to budget even more so I can survive even more with him eating my food. He thought all that money I got was for food, but I then told him how it was for my personal supplies. Ugh sometimes I wish I could just be mean and crack down the whip! But ugh I don't know, I really don't think I will be serving with him next transfer, but I still have 3 weeks left in this transfer! Hope all is going well at home. Hope to hear from you soon. Oh and this computer wont read my camera so I can't get my pictures up on here! Ugh grumble!

Love,

Elder D. Allen

I have a washer machine in my apartment so I wash my one short sleeve shirt every other day. All though this week it has been pretty hot! Like 90 degrees out side plus an extreme measure of humidity! Really its just like home in Houston for me but Elder Floyd is from Alaska and doesn't take that well to the heat. He isn't really from Alaska, its like me saying I am from Texas! That is just where his family is currently living.
We had Zone Confrence, and the mission is changing. Mission are now becoming more intence. The work is going to be calling for more diligence and obedience from missionary work. With President Brower opening up this new system of work in our mission early we will be ahead of the game. There will be more training of missionaries to make us better at teaching but with that we will be out in the field less, so we need to make the time we are out there even better! I am way excited! The first presidency is raising the work effort "bar" instead of the missionaries this time. So now we will have to work even harder. Elder Floyd is moving, he doesn't want to be out here or work. Lets just say he is trying my patience even more then Kurtis ever did! However I have not punched him in the yet. The sloppiness is annoying to me too, so now I do all the cleaning in the apartment from dishes and making beds. Yes, I make his bed, its one way I can keep him from going back to bed after he is ready for the day. We struggle to get out and find but we get out there! He is out to get the #s and not to help people. if there is one thing I don't like about being out here is the numbers we have to report, its the lesser law of missionary work! I feel it is there to help those who need something to push for. I am trying my hardest to do what is right. I am even talking to President Brower weekly for advice. My fear is Elder Floyd throwing in the white flag because he doesn't want to do the work and then going home and loosing sight of the church! So I am trying to get us to read the Book of Mormon together, but he just speeds through the book and doesn't think of it! The area is coming along, but the members are just distant, and the work is moving slow! I have been calling all the members to see if there was anything we could do to help them or even come over and share a message! However we do get fed, but that's about it... actually last week we didn't get any meals, which was pretty lame, but oh well this week I am going to do my best to build trust in the members! I had a couple of crazy stuff happen but they are in my journal entries coming home! I am living in my grandmas heaven. All of these houses are very old and Victorian! The Library is even very old! They don't tear stuff down here they fix them up! Woodstock is very pretty and wonderful, and I am loving it. I have made another old lady friend, we do service for her. She is pretty rich and lives in an ancient mansion, that her father built! I make cookies for people all the time, it's the best! I work through the stomach! Haha! I cant wait. Tomorrow I am going to Kitchner, and I will be working there for the day with a Zone Leader. Walking the roads of a huge city! I am way excited. The Zone Leaders are realizing there is an issue in our companionship and I think they want to work on us separately, because it is not common for a Zone Leader to do a travel(exchange) with just an ordinary companionship. So I got my patriarchal blessing in the mail this week! President Middleton had another sent to me because I left mine at home, and that was a good lifter for me. I am so thankful for all the mail I get from everyone and It means a lot to me! Well I love you, have a great week!

Love,

Elder Allen

A new place

Well, I am now in a city of 36,000 people!!! There are a ton of people to talk to! Nothing too exciting though, and no new pictures. Last week we had a lady come to us and invite us over for dinner out of the blue, so this week we are going over and teaching her the first lesson with her family.... missionaries love dinners and love teaching, could it get any better? Oh and not to mention the firey dart pool outside of our balcony. That being a water hole in the woods that we can see right off our balcony where the neighborhood teens go for a swim! So its a place to avoid during the day! I live on the 8th floor of an apartment building, next week I will have to post pictures! Anyways well The doctors appointment went well. I dont have cancer! I am just going to have pain for a while and live off ibprofen for a while! Well I love y'all! And take care now! :)

Love, Elder Allen

P.S. Letters are always welcome

Elder Derek A. Allen

600 Chieftian #805

Woodstock, Ontario N4T 1S1

Saying good bye

To our beloved Missionaries
We have experienced throughout our lives the tender miracles of an all-loving Father who strategically places people and opportunities in our path with Heaven's precise timing. Such is certainly the case as we reflect upon our glorious years in the Canada Toronto West Mission that brought each of you into our lives. As the sun begins to set upon this remarkable experience our hearts are drawn to you and your sweet influence for good that has become part of our eternity. For some of you, our association was perhaps very brief, lasting only weeks; while many of you have blessed our lives for months leading to years. Notwithstanding the length or brevity of our time together, our love and admiration for each of you is without clock or calendar. As Sister Middleton has said to so many of you upon your return home, "You have left your handprint upon our hearts." The legacy of our "mission" privilege together began long before any of us were born and will extend beyond our mortal existence. Giants preceded us. We stand on their shoulders and have become part of them. Giants will succeed us and it is our responsibility to continue to make our
shoulders available to them. President Monson has said, "The success of a mission (or missionary) is best known twenty or thirty years later by the devoted discipleship he (or she) continues to demonstrate individually and is manifest through ones faithful posterity," When Alma reunited with the sons of Mosiah, "...he did rejoice exceeding ...and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the know/edge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligent/y, that they might know the word of God." (Alma 17:2)Thank you for your goodness; your diligence; your friendship; and your love. Thank you for the testimony that burns brightly in your souls and illuminates the souls of others. We pray now for the gift of "memory" that not only the experiences that have inextricably intertwined our lives will not fade but,more importantly, the feelings that have changed our hearts will grow more brightly with each passing year. May the Lord fill your lives with joy and may you always be His.
With Love and admiration,
President and Sister Middleton

What great people and leader. I will always be grateful I was able to work with these people.

Well I am off to a new area!!!

This week was great, I got the call a little early due to my doctor's appointment today, so I knew I was leaving just didn't know where to! So I am going to Woodstock which is just between London and Kitchener, good part is I am still in the Kitchener Zone! also Elder St. Pierre, my district leader is now a zone leader! So a lot of fun movement and next week the new mission president is coming, President Brower. Then Siter and President Middleton are off to home base. Along with Elder Bishop and Elder Peck! I loved serving in Walkerton and the people there! It was such a blessing to serve there in their branch and I especially loved the music environment there. With the opportunity to have a musical number every week! Music is such a blessing to me in my life, and has helped me through hard times. it is easy to see how the Spirit can work through it. But like most great Spiritual tools, Satan has a grasp of it too, with a lot of popular songs today! But as we avoid that and seek for virtue we will be blessed with it! I love you all and hope you all have a great week! Hopefully I can give you all the excitement of Woodstock next week and plus the turn out of the doctor. Even though I really think its nothing! :)
Love
Elder Allen

From a great trainer Elder Peck to a wonderful companion Elder Bishop

I love Serving my Heavenly Father










My Companion Elder Bishop












Elder Peck and I















These pictures were taken by a family in the Walkerton Branch! To contact this photographer;








Dena & Gaetano Della-Fortuna ….& baby Emma :-)

681 Queen Street

Neustadt, Ontario

Canada

N0G 2M0

Yummy Treat

Well this week was a little rough but nothing can hold me back! We started the week of with a travel. Elder St. Piere came down to my area and we did some tracting and teaching! Then to finish of the exchange we went out to ice cream! Hope you like the pictures





I also included pictures of my apartment!







Then after travels Elder Bishop and I were back in the game. Wednesday was an interesting day. We did some service at the Farm, Due to the huge storm we got on Monday last week (which to tell you Elder Bishop and I were like 3 blocks away form our car when it started to pour rain where you couldn't see 5 feet in front of you, and the hail started to come too! We got soaked!) a tree came down so we had to cut it up. After the service we went down to Brantford and 2 1/2 hour drive south! So I could see a doctor down there! The doctor knowing the distance we traveled ordered an ultrasound for me the next morning so we spent the night with the Brantford missionaries. With my hard time sleeping it was easy to wake up in the morning, so I went to work in the kitchen so I made Biscuits and gravy all from scratch so everyone could have a nice tasty meal. Then off to an ultrasound! Oh and just my luck it was another lady doctor! Ugh that is my second one! anyways during the ultrasound we had a good conversation about me being a missionary which led into the gospel! She was well either being very nice or she was actually interested. She didn't live in Brantford but did live in a little town just south of it! So I gave her a pass along card with a website she can visit to learn more! It was one way for me to take an awkward Doctor's appointment into a teaching comfortable environment! Then after that, we were free to return home! Well we started tracting right when we got back. the next day we started off great we taught two lessons at the same time. we were in the park down town and both taught people we contacted, the one I talked to was a lady we actually were trying to meet there. The lady I taught is now a new investigator. Then I got a phone call with a new appointment, for the cancer center down in Hamilton, wow my heart sank when she said who she was. Then getting informed that it was just to check to see if what I have is the worst. It is just so amazing to see the Lord's hand in this. It all started with a little nothing, but we found a something, and if it is the worst thing possible well, we got it so early its the best worst possibility! Anyways back onto happy thoughts! The Family we are teaching has been sick this past week but we are meeting with them tonight! I am so excited for this and cant wait to see what happens! Thank you all for your support and prayers. Until next week!
Love,
Elder Allen