Dearest Family. I am on my last nine months guys. Is that crazy er what?

I guess we will first start off with a little description of Elder Holbrook, my new companero. He has hobbit feet and also hobbit legs (that means hes really hairy for all of you non-LOTR fans out there). He is a convert of about 2 years now and is older than me by a couple of weeks. No other person in his family is a member so he is the lone ranger. He has has sweet Kermit the Frog tattoo on his left tricep. He used to be in a ska and punk band called the SKARS and can tell you anything you want to know about punk rock. He looks like a miniature..... I dont know his name but dude with the glasses from Flight of the Conchords. Elder Holbrook also can tell you anything you want to about Chelsea soccer in England and anything about soccer in general. He thinks that he was supposed to be born in England but tripped out of the premortal existence. That reminds me... I was looking at his pictures when he first got here on his camera and there was a picture of taylor dahl on there in the MTC. Elder Holbrook also enjoys comic books and has a sweet Book of Mormon comic book that he brought with him that I highly recommend. All in all he is pretty radical. I think that that is the only word you could use to define him. Almost forgot, he is from Fort Collins, CO. Its gonna be so sick (pound poundx2).

There was another missionary that came in from Tempe, AZ who is 21 and went to Dobson High. HIs name is Aden Shelley. Elder Holbrook told me that another guy was supposed to come out with them from Chandler but he never showed up. Do you think that that is the Mesquite guy you were talking about? Talkin about Mesquite, I was in Great Falls from Monday to Thursday waiting for Elder Holbrook. I went to some different lessons with Elder Cox and ended up in a guys house named Erick Dirk who played football for Mesquite and graduated in 2001. I asked him if he knew a bunch of people and he did. Youll have to ask around if anyone knows him. I guess he went to North Dakota to play football instead of a mission and now here he is in Great Falls, MT. I guess its a tangent sort of day today but I learned something cool about the Cuban Missile Crisis that sends me off onto another tangent. I guess when Pres Kennedy said that the "Ace was in the hole" it was one of the missiles here in Montana because in between Great Falls and Lewistown there is a site that has a sign hanging saying, "Right Here Is Where The Ace Was In The Hole" something cool for dad. I know no one else probably cares. Also for dad: There are two guys here in Lewistown that served in the Leeds, England mission. Richard Merrel (dont know when he served) and Doug Day (served in 89) not when you did.

For the Apartment filled with smoke..... our prayers have been answered. The Smoker moved out.

I was glad that you did tell me about Mrs Moriarty. all 6 huh? Beautiful. I need to go see her when I get home.

As for home, Elder Journey is home now. You probably wont get to see him until I get home but just heads up if he ever shows up at our front door step.

As for Lewsitown, Things are the same. We are slowly rolling along. Slowly progressing. Thats all I got for this week. Cougar steaks tasted like cat. We're branding on Saturday.

Write back with any questions.

Love you cool cats. Love ya like a Boss. Elde rPHeywood.

Parker & Smith's cousin (Elder McClaws...love

his duct tape tie)

Somewhere between Havre and Lewistown

Elder Heywood w/the Lloyds

I want to say that I hope everyone serves a mission one day. After a week like we had last week, whooooo, its dang tough sometimes and can kick ya like a heifer but, wow, the good far outweighs the bad. Its rewarding. As for the Atchleys, she sent me another letter that Im going to have to send you. Its just as good as the first. She is so funny. I have a feeling that Earl wont make it before my mission is over but Emy has to have at least another decade left.


The weekly Heywood news report: Transfer calls came. We were afraid that Elder Rice was leaving because PG (pres Gardner) has been moving around the young guys quite a bit. He doesn't like to keep them in their first area for too long. Just as we expected, the call came and Elder Rice was told that he was leaving. About an hour later, PG called and told him that he was going to be doubled in to a new area that hasn't had Elders or Sisters there for a long time. Just Old Senile Senior Sisters. Anyway, he will be going to Sidney with an older missionary and they will be the first Missionaries to be in that area for over 10 years. And..... they will be living with a non member family, in their basement, and on top of that they have 8 kids. Its a pretty stellar opportunity if you ask me. I'm proud of him. Hes gonna go make me proud. After Elder Rice got off the phone with PG it was my turn and I was cordially invited to ....... yep...... train a new one again. Another baby boy coming my way. To tell you the truth, I don't know what to think. Don't get me wrong folks, I'm excited and all...It could be really good or it could be really bad. I guess that's life. Plan of Salvation in action. I think Forrest Gump said it best, (missionary style). Training is like a box of chocolates....... You guys will get all that info next Monday. I will be in Great Falls until Thursday.
 
FYI there is a new tenant who moved in just below our apartment. Lets just say our apt. doesn't block out sound or smell very well. Our little tri-plex has now turned into a motel. The camel himself lives underneath us. We wake up every morning to the nice smell of smoke lingering in our apt. You wouldn't think it would be so bad but our little piece of junk place we live just isn't the most well constructed place. Its beautiful.




Like I said my greenie and I wont get back until Thursday afternoon and sister Thayne is making us a special meal. Yeppers. We're having cougar steaks. Cant wait for that.


You guys will have to go online and see if you can find anything on this band: Kyle Shobe and the Walk em boys. They all attend the Lewistown ward. + Kyle Shobe is officially the best auctioneer in Montana.


Missionary Work: We found a couple of potential investigators this past week and hopefully that goes well for next time we go back. I hope it does. There has been an older part member couple coming to church very consistently. We are working with the ward to get us in their home to teach the Husband. The only prob is that they are 40 miles out of town on a ranch. We got a couple of other referrals and things so hopefully those go well too. Lots of good little things starting to happen. We're hopin and prayin.


Lastly, I experienced something that Ive never experienced before. I think it was Saturday night and I sat pondering. I pondered like I had never pondered before. This may sound like a joke but I'm serious. Never before have I received personal revelation like I did just sitting and pondering about this missionary work in Lewistown. I think that we can understand principles of the Gospel but to FULLY understand or to "obtain my word" (DC?) we really have to go and do and experience it for ourselves. Ive always been told to SEARCH PONDER AND PRAY but I don't know if I fully understood. I have pondered and prayed and read before but I don't think I ever really whole heartily pondered something like I did a couple of nights ago. It was a pretty big growing experience for me. I will forever preach about SEARCHING PONDERING AND PRAYING. If only we could get investigators to put in the 100% percent effort to do that, thing would be so different. Our Eternal Life/Salvation isn't based of how many times we go to church or how many times we do our home teaching or how many callings we've had, or how many good things we do for someone else.... Its based off of our personal relation to the captain and author of our salvation. If we can draw close to him, then all the Church, service, etc, etc. will happen. Bottom Line. Read your scriptures. Pray. and Ponder


Have a good week you Latter-day Saints of God
Elder Pheywood

I have lots to tell you guys. First thanks for the prayers. We have still been trying to find people to teach and went back through some old people and had a good conversation with them. They know all about the church and almost understand everything from past missionaries but still have some misconceptions that need to be cleared up. We asked them to read a couple of short verses in the BofM so we will see if they did and discuss them next time we go over. They are nice people and just DONT UNDERSTAND! You just cannot deny that book if you read it intently. Why will Children of God just not hearken unto their Fathers voice? He wants them back. They just look at the church as a CHURCH and not as they should. Its frustrating but testimony building.

Other than that we contacted what seemed like a billion less actives. Story one: Now, this happened with high school kid and his Grandpa, who watches movies all day without a shirt on and thinks he knows what is best for kid. We walked into the house on a weekday evening and he is usually watching a movie or show on this HUGE LCD tv which wasn't there. I asked him, without really thinking about it, just trying to be sociable, where the big TV went. He looked at me with those satanic eyes and told me in a very very scary voice that what he does in his house is his business. I felt horrible. I obviously started talking without thinking and hurt his pride very badly. After we got done talking, he told me to come sit down. I did and spent the next 15 minutes basically getting chewed out in a round about way. He kept telling me that he has guns and they are loaded and that I need to be careful what I say. He kept saying that he wasn't mad he was just trying to teach me a lesson for the future for when I would go into other homes because I could possibly get killed for stepping in on other peoples business. I felt like a million bucks after I was done. They also have this little Pomeranian that has its haircut to look like a lion. Everytime we walk in the door that thing growls and doesnt leave the grandpas side until we are done. The grandpa kept telling me that ever since I came to the house, no one else, not any of the other missionaries, just me, but when I come to the house the dog growls. What he was trying to get at was that dogs know good people from bad people. He told me to do some soul searching. Then...... he kept on telling us about how he was in the army and how, like every other disabled Veteran who thinks theyve seen it all, told us about How HE has seen it all. It was a good time.

Another Less active lady that we contacted was really nice but had just been in Montana too long. She told us this crazy story about how she thought her son was kidnapped from the hospital at birth and how the hospital and funeral home were all behind it. Its a long story but a good one. I will write it in my journal. She said that she is trying to get a book published on it to see if her "dead" son is really still out there.

Lately we have been dealing with a lot of the Medical Marijuana Problem. It is a huge thing here in Montana and is a problem with some of the members. Not active ones of course. One of the members works at a Meth Rehab facility and gave us some good insight to the problem because, frankly my dear, I dont know too much about the state laws and how they all work and everything. But, that is an issue I really havent had to face on my mission yet. I sure in the Phililppines there will be numerous issues that deal with everything you can think of. That reminds me. There are some members in the Meth Rehab place that requested us to come so we should start teaching them sometime soon. Hopefull that willl be good.

Thats about it for my week. though. Thanks for all the info on what is going on at home. Keep reading and praying. I promise that if you do problems will most likely be kept at bay.

LOVE YOU

Elder PLH

PHX and LA, Orlando and Boston?

Did you get my letter from the Atchleys? She sent another one about two days after that had a good picture of them at the temple that I will have to send. Its good to hear from investigators.

Day after Mother's Day...

It was good to call home although I admit it makes me a little homesick. But then, you go knock on someones door and they yell at you and youre good to go again.

Snowing in May!

Enjoying Nature!

I dont think I told you in the last email but we, Lewistown, got about 13 inches of snow. Wooo. Its May! We were snowed in the first day but dug out the car by the end of the day. Didnt get around to too much that day. Then the next couple of days we spent pretty much our whole morning shoveling snow for people. I hate snow. I am glad I live in Arizona. There was one snow drift that was about up to my shoulders on someones driveway that we got rid of. For some reason it reminded me of Groundhog day. In other parts of the country some farmers said that they got a couple of drifts that were about 9 feet high. ONCE AGAIN, I SAY, ITS MAY. Can't believe this. Have my eyes been cheated by some spell or is it snowing? ahhhh name that one?

Lets go down the list of some of our investigators/people were teaching. Once again, I say, its May. May, I say, at least in Montana, brings spring flowers (all the perennial flowers i.e. daffodils, tulips, etc are in bloom), lambs, calfs, warm weather, all new and good things. For some reason May, I say, does not bring the NEW and GOOD investigators that we would like to have (at least by this point). So, with the fingers crossed, lucky underwear on, and four leaf clovers in hand, we are out to find, teach and baptize the babes of Bethlehem.

Pleywood.

One way to pheasant hunt...

Pass Alongs

Note from family:  Elder Heywood says they have success using these little pass along cards from Mormon.org. He sent us a package this week with some of his cards. One of them looked like someone we know...

Hey Yaaaaaaaaaaa

Sorry we are writing so late. Our zone Conf is tomorrow and we came into Great Falls to have our Pday which was, Zone Olympics. It involved little boys and girls games that kids would play only if they were in the nursery. Weeeee I had so much fun Mommy and Daddy. One of the missionaries set up, in the cultural hall, pretty much a paintball course and then used marshmallows and PVC pipe to have a war. Because he is a Lord of the Rings fan we set up one side of the Gym with tables and different things for obstacles. There were two teams. One team stood on the stage with their marshmallow guns and tried to shoot the advancing team while hiding behind the tables and other obstacles, etc. The other team was the advancing team. We were all supposed to be hobbits and one was Frodo. We all counted as one point if we made it to the baseline but if Frodo made it then we got 5 points. So we turned out the lights (pitch dark) and tried to make it to the Volcano in Mordor (baseline) without any Orks or Goblins (missionaries) shooting us with marshmallows or Saran's Eye detecting us, which was a kid with a flashlight on the stage. Nice right? I know I had to throw that one out there to let you know a little portion of what my mission life is like. Sweet... I know. I dont think I told you this but there are, or I should say "were", missionaries in this mission who knew/know how to write and read Elvish. Yes, I know. Bonus. what an awesome missionary skill. Im sure they use it all the time.

For Lewistown. Things are slow but good. There is progression so that is good. Its just slow. We got into another little ordeal with some lovely Jdubs. Those are always so educational. The spirit always testifies to me that our church is true so, that is good. Why do people not celebrate Mothers day? I mean cmon you blinded sheep.

We are getting kicked out so I will finish up emailing before we head out tomorrow afternoon.

Mothers day call will be around 6pm. your time. I will be calling from a land line so don’t worry. If you’re not home then I will call cell phones.

Talk to you tomorrow.
Look over the last couple of weeks emails and please answer questions.

Love. Elder PLheywood.