January 28, 2009

Hey there,

This last week we had an awesome Sunday. I always forget to update you about our Sundays because we used to write on Monday when everything was fresh but now it’s half way through the week. We had some great people we are teaching at church. Which was great too because it was the Young Womens program and they did an excellent job. Two of the ladies who came loved it and were excited to have their girls in Young Women.

The rest of the week has gone swell. Things have been rolling along and the work is growing here in Morrisville. We are always finding more people to teach and to bring to church. There was a baptism in the ward the week before I got here so that man will be getting the Priesthood this Sunday.  We are really excited for him.

The area is really big and we are getting down to the end of the month and we are cutting it close on miles. The church is 15 miles away so just to go over to Morrisville and back home is a 30 mile trip that we have to make often. We have a couple investigators in Morrisville, some in Langhorne, a few in Bristol and Newtown. So we are all spread out.

They really shook things up here in the mission. With how we track numbers and where and when we do meetings and the such. This Monday will be our Zone Training meeting. Usually we have Zone Training another day of the week but now they are getting rid of week 5 District meeting and just getting everyone together that day. President Murray won’t be there but we do have to see him one other day of the week. Ours is Tuesday sometime. He will go to a building and meet with each of us for our interviews and then we will be good to go back to work. They are going to try this out and see what comes of it. They feel that it will be the same amount of miles and everything but it seems like kinda a hassle to me.

Thank you for the hood and the handwarmers. There were a few times this week when it got a little windy and so I put on my hand neck ear cover/warmer and it worked great. The humidity is whats killing us. It is murder in the summer and then the winter it’s just as damp. But the extra layer has been helping.

Our Stake President has been called to be a mission president so he will be getting released and they will call a new stake president either the end of February or beginning of March. They said they are expecting an apostle to come to do it and then take a tour of where the temple will be. That’s the rumor at least, but it would be cool.

Alright I’ve got to run. Have a great week. I’ll talk to you next week.

Love you,

Elder Michael Oakford

January 22, 2009

The beginning of this week we had some freezing cold weather. Actually we learned that we had the coldest nights in over four years. We were out tracting and it was 4 degrees! That’s just madness, everyone made sure we knew it too. I love the snow though, i’ve never seen it snow so much as it did this week. A couple days non-stop. Snow is a whole lot better than rain when you have to be out in it, definately not as wet.

We woke up Saturday morning and when Elder Steele went to get in the shower we were surprised to find out that our pipes were frozen! That was no fun.  So we got dressed and went to our Ward Missionary Coordination meeting and then Sunday morning we were able to shower up at the Anderson’s house.  Monday morning we got out the torch and went to work. We pulled all of the insulation off the pipes and heated them up until we got them cookin’. Then we went to Lowes and got wire that you attach to the underside of the pipes and it heats them up and then re insulated them all.  It was fun but took most of the morning.  And now we have water! YAY! What a blessing!

My focus lately has been studying the scriptures and really gaining some ground in the knowledge department. I love the scriptures! I have such a hard time putting them down. It’s lame, we only get from 8-9 to do our personal study and then on most days we don’t take any sort of break until we get home at night. Then when we get  home we plan until 10:00 then get ready for bed and lights out at 10:30! It’s nuts. I am trying to find every opportunity to read but there is so much. I am half way through The Book of Mormon again and I am trying to re-read Jesus the Christ and also Preach My Gospel etc. but trying to prioritize everything is not working out. I am making this run through The Book of Mormon my #1 right now and then we’ll see what comes next but there is not enough time to do everything that I want to.

We are teaching some great people and seeing lots of progress in the area. It’s nice to have a hard time scheduling people because your nights are already full, what a blessing!

Alright well it’s time to go.

I Love You.

Elder Michael Oakford

January 15, 2009

So this Tuesday was my first day in thermals! Yay for me. I tried to hold out as long as possible but come on, 23 degrees all day long with slight wind in your face. If I was doing this for money, I’d find another job.  I guess the high from today on is supposed to be 20 degrees. While we are talking to people on their door step recently, two things have been getting brought up almost every time. #1 A very common comment from almost everyone – “Whoa, it’s really cold out there, you must be freezing.” This ridiculous comment is usually followed by a response to notify them that we already know that yes it is cold. And then we proceed to let them know that if they let us in we wouldn’t be cold. But for some reason they just like to stand at the door and shiver along with us. I get a kick out of it. #2 is also an unneeded comment but I’ve been getting it a lot recently. While introducing ourselves and talking to people at the doorstep they usually ask “Where are you both from?” As soon as I say I’m from California they ask what part I then tell them “Ventura” or “just north of LA.” They then always say something to the effect of “Oh dear, did you know it was 77 degrees in LA today? I bet you wish we had California weather out here huh?” ha ha ha ha ha. For some reason they think that is really funny. But I for one am not laughing. My burning ears and frozen jaw wouldn’t allow it if I wanted to I don’t think.

Everything other than the freezing cold weather is going wonderfully here in Morrisville. I love it. I wouldn’t complain if there was a little more diversity.

We have a wonderful ward and the leaders here that we are working with are amazing. The bishop, Bishop Schwab, gave me time at the end of Sacrament meeting to introduce myself and bear my testimony. Everyone is very friendly and they love doing missionary work.

This is where true happiness lies. As long as you are sharing the Gospel, you will be happy, your family will be happy. God blesses those who do what he really wants them to do. I’ve been reading and writing a lot lately on our focuses. We have our Mortal and temporal focuses and then our Eternal and spiritual focuses. Why do we get so caught up in one more than the other? I don’t know it bugs me. So I’m determined to prevent it.

The missionary work is going great. We have been expecting and seeing miracles every single day! It is amazing! We have been teaching some incredible people too. They just keep coming and coming. Blessings from God? I think SO!

I’ll try to get you a letter out a little later.

I love you.
Have a great week!

Elder Michael Oakford

January 8, 2008

Dear Family,

The transfer’s end brought many surprises for us. We had a great turn out at church and lots of people that are just beginning to progress. Then we find out that we are all getting moved. They doubled out my area of Pottstown and the sisters area of Kutztown. They put Elders in Kutztown which is something that we have been working on doing for a little while now, and then two elders I know really well went into Pottstown (lucky kids).
I am now back almost where I started. I am now serving in the Morrisville Ward. It is located just north of the Pennypack ward where I started my mission. I was very excited to hear that. It has absolutely no city but that is fine because I have learned how to work in both kinds of areas. I think you’ll like this though – I live in a little town called Oakford, Pennsylvania!
My new address is
2103 Woodchuck Ln.
Oakford, PA 19053

We live in the guest house of a member. It is a tiny cottage that is down the hill from their house next to a little river. It is a nice change. Still small, but it’s nice to be separated from other people and not have people banging on your walls and playing crazy music at all hours of the night. It’s very peaceful. I’ll have to take some pictures and send them to you.
My new companion is Elder Steele from Orem, UT. He’s an exceptional missionary. He has been out for about a year and was called Spanish-speaking so we do some teaching in Spanish. We taught a wonderful lady last night named Vilma. She is from Peru. They have been working with her for a couple weeks and she has been reading the Book of Mormon and going to the Pennypack Ward since they have classes and such in Spanish. The lesson was so powerful and the spirit was very very strong. Elder Steele has language study every morning from 10-11 so I’m thinking about studying Spanish along with him. He is fluent and is very convincing when he speaks, it would be very neat to learn from him and teach with him.

Everything here is going great. Cold! But great. We will be doing a lot more tracting than I have been but that’s OK because I really love it. I have a really good feeling about the next transfer or two here in Morrisville. I see Elder Steele and myself getting along great and having much success with each other.

It was really sad to leave Pottstown after being there for so long and knowing so many people. It was clear that it wasn’t very difficult for Elder Esplin seeing he had only been there ten weeks he wasn’t very attached. But I’m going to miss a lot of the wonderful people I grew to love. Whereever you go though the Gospel is needed and that’s what I’m here to do. It’s not where you serve but how. I am really determined to kick it into gear and take myself to the next level. And I really think I am in the right spot to do it right now. I know President Murray is called by God and he receives the revelation and knows where to put us. I’m really glad to be here right now with Elder Steele.

I love you all. It was really exciting to here about Stacy tell her I said Congratulations.

Love,

Elder Michael Oakford

January 4, 2008–Transfer

We just got a telephone call from Sister Gettle that both Mike and his companion will be transfered this week.  He knows he is going, but he won’t know where until Tuesday.

January 1, 2009

First, a couple photos of Mike’s missionary district on Christmas Day.

Happy New Year!
Christmas and New Years were great. Yesterday we were on exchanges with the zone leaders in our area. It was freezing cold! Elder Covington, who I was with, left his jacket in the car that the other missionaries were in. He was shivering a good part of the day until we could get a hold of them and have them come back with his coat.
We didn’t have enough food for everyone to have something good in the apartment so we went out to the Chinese Buffet. It was good, but not worth it.  Two of us got home for break and then didn’t leave. We got food poisoning and I suffered all night and morning long. I’m just starting to feel better but I didn’t get much sleep. I’ll be fine, this is something that just comes and goes.

Transfers are this Sunday. I am less than excited. Some of the things that I do know are happening I’m saddened by. But what can you do? I’m wondering if I’ll be here for one more or not. If I am there will only be one other companionship in my district. Since we are cutting down on miles they are making smaller districts so people don’t have to travel as far. We meet in Reading, which round trip makes about a 60 mile day. The Kutztown sisters travel about the same distance but next week they will be meeting in Allentown instead. When I first got here we had about 1350 miles but we had 1100 this month and they would cut us back to 900 next month. I don’t understand why with gas prices so low they continue to cut our mileage? But I just do what I’m told.

We set a baptismal date with young woman names Ceire. We are very excited for that. She said that she wanted to wait to be baptized until she finished the whole Book of Mormon. She is now on page 500!

It was really nice to talk to you on Christmas. I was glad everyone was there to talk to, even Julie for a time. We had a fantastic Christmas. It was great to be able to spend it with friends that you are close to and to have a lot of fun. It is so important to make the best out of the important times on your mission. You only get two Christmas’ make the best out of them.

I hope all is well at home. I bet it’s great having the whole family together. For Christmas/ New Years, I wrote letters to each missionary in our districts parents. I am so glad to be serving with the missionaries I do. They are all amazing and bring so much to our district.

I hope you all get feeling better soon.
I love you.

Elder Michael Oakford