July 1, 2013 Letter and Pics

Familia!! How is everyone?!?! From your emails it sounds like everything is moving along nicely :) That's great to hear! I haven't gotten any package, but no worries it'll be here sometime :) Thank you so much! I got Michaels email! Holy cow he is in Tonga and baptizing 3 people his second day?!?! Man slowwww down there Alma. haha What a stud. :) I am so happy for him and so happy I don't have to eat the things or have the bugs he does! Haha I guess I'm pretty spoiled down here in Texas. And Mike congratulations on our calling! Knowing you, I know you will be amazing. I really look up to you Mike and I know the ward members will as well and you are a great example so don't sweat it! And That is a big leap of faith for Brooke and Mike with My favorite Pal, but That is just awesome! I love those ties and pretty soon the WHOLE world will as well :) And you gotta tell Adam to slow down on his Karate! I don't feel like getting beat up when I get home.. haha Tell him I LOVE HIM TO DEATH!!! I will definitely be praying for Sterlings safety!! I bet it will be scorching out there in that desert! But IT IS Sterling. That kid could probably survive a nuke. haha Just how he is. Love him to death. haha And Greg! I am sorry for the break up! But I am very glad that you were able to make a decision and be confident in it! I am proud of you brother! Christian, I am praying for you as well! I am happy you have been able to be moving on with alot of things as well! I bet it's not easy but it sure is a testimony to your faith! I love you man! Brittani & Ryan and KIDDOS!! I am extremely jealous of your trip to Florida. I won't lie. haha That is so awesome and I am so glad you guys had a good time! I love getting your emails Brittani and hearing all about those little Kiddos :) They are so cute!! KIDDO!!! Dude I hope you haven't gone any dates yet... you promised you wouldn't till I got home!!! haha :) But I am so glad you had a blast at EFY and Girls camp too!! The girls in the ward here just went on their girls camp trip as well and it made me think of you and the pictures you have when you took my blue sweater and went to girls camp with Mom! Cute little Christee :) I love you! Dad! Man you have been all over the place haven't you! But those are some pretty cool places! And That's awesome you had a family reunion! I hope you told everyone I say hi and I love them :) haha And Please please definitely tell Aunt Donna I love her so much and I care about her and want to say hello! Man I got the best family ever. :) So Texas! This week was good! It was rough as well, but hey that's every week :) Me and my companion are getting into the swing of things and I hope I am still being a good trainer for him, because he sure is teaching me alot!! The Spanish is coming along really well now that I have ALOT of opportunities to speak. The understanding is definitely coming faster than the speaking though. Which is good! Can't really reply to something you didn't understand right?? Haha even though I do that half the time... Trust in the Spirit :) We have been going through a very slow patch because all the investigators we have are progressing very slowly BUT they are progressing which is a blessing. But we need an investigator in Spanish and me and Elder Moffitt prayed and prayed and we put in our plans that for just an hour of the day we would find that investigator. Didn't know how, didn't know where, just knew we were going to find one. So we drove in the car until we felt to stop in the neighborhood. We stopped in the middle of the street so we had houses on both the north and south. We decided to know north first, door after door we got absolutely nothing. So we came back and knocked the houses to the south, and still we got absolutely nothing. The probably with knocking to find Spanish investigators is that there really isn't straight hispanic neighborhoods around here. They are spread all over the place. And the aren't even in our area for our english ward so we have to go on the other side of town to find them, so if we did find an english person that was interested it'd be for the other missionaries, but they all get taught the same thing so no worries :) But anyways we knocked those south house and at the 3rd to last house we knocked, and we heard kids running around yelling, and then we hear " It's church people!" we thought oh great, another person to tell us off. haha But when they opened the door one of the girls was about to close the door and the mom yelled out "No hablo ingles!" And immediately me and my companion at the same time yelled " Hablamos en espanol!!" haha and all of the sudden she came to the door and told us to come in!! Man God is a God of miracles I will tell you that. We were able to teach the restoration and they all felt the spirit! It was an amazing experience I will forever be grateful for. God looks out for us. Its a family of 6 kids, and their parents. I haven't met the husband but we will this friday and He speaks perfect english, so that's nice. haha but the mom only speaks spanish. But it was an answer to our prayers for sure. Family I love you all sooooo very much and I am so grateful for you!! Thank you for everything!! Love, Elder King (The cooler of the two that are emailing home right now) hahahahaha :) THATS RIGHT MICHAEL!!! haha

June 25, 2013 Letter

Mi Familia! How is everyone?! Sounds like Brittani and Ryan and the Kiddos had a blast of a trip! That is awesome!! And of course Kiddo had a blast at EFY! She makes everything fun!! Happy Birthdy BRITTANI AND LINDSAY this past week! I was thinking about you two on those days! You are all constantly in my prayers and I love you all so much!! First week of training! It actually went well!! Man it is a 180 degree turn from what I was the past week! But it's a blast! We are both Straight white kids trying to speak spanish and man it;s an adventure. My companion is Elder Moffitt and he is from Vienna, Virginia. He actually has cousins that live in Lindon and I went to school with one of them! haha small world out here I swear! Even our branch presidents wife went to Pleasant Grove High school, a lady in another ward I went to charter school with her cousin. And My Bishop in the english ward worked In Lindon City hall like 15 years ago! Haha talk about getting cramped in this world! I tried to get away but just can't escape. haha just kidding :) But The weather has been crazy here! Monday is was a BAD storm! North side of town flooded! THat's where we were when it hit out of nowhere!! We were jet skiing through the roads in our car! It was a blast!! haha The rest of the week has just been humid and Hot! Things are going pretty well with teaching, but we need to get these people committed! Too many people are taking this very lightly! So we'll throw down on them like Alma and Amulek and see how it goes... haha I'm just kidding! I won't do that! It doesn't work I've tried... haha But We're hoping to set a lot of baptismal dates this week and we are hoping to find a better way to find spanish people to teach! We can't just go knock doors, because on a street of 20 houses, 8 probably speak spanish, the rest speak english, but half of that open their door, half of that might listen, and half cancel. So we are left with one and it somehow seems that person is the busiest of them all. But we just gotta keep trucking on! I love it though! And Spanish is coming pretty fast now... haha kinda got thrown into it! I do know a lot more spanish than I thought which is good news, but only because of the Spirit. It is not me at all! I am starting to understand when people speak, I can get it for the most part but there are a lot of words I don't understand. And for the most part people have been understanding of two white guys not knowing their language and trying their best, so they help us sometimes which is nice. haha But I absolutely love being a missionary. The broadcast on sunday for the Work of Salvation was amazing and got me sooooo pumped! I love it! I can't wait to get some people back to the fold. It's a wonderful blessing. Family I love you all so much and I am so grateful that I can talk to you all and share my experiences! I Hope you know I pray for and Love you all so much! Keep going strong and never lose sight of what Mom always said. "No empty chairs" LOVE YOU ALL!! Love, Elder King

June 17, 2013 Letter

Family!! DAD HAPPY FATHERS DAY!! I LOVE YOU!! You are the best dad anyone could ever ask for! I love you all so much and pray for you!! I am soo happy to be here and man life is good :) So, I got crazy news! The transfer just ended and we found out what is happening this passed saturday! My companion is going home because he finished his two years so I knew I was getting a new companion, and turns out it's going to be a BRAND NEW companion. I am training a greenie! His name is Elder Moffit, I AM SO NERVOUS! It takes 2 transfers to finish training! I just barely finished those 2 transfers! And then I got a call from President and he asked me to train! AHH!! I don't even know spanish yet! I am staying here in Abilene and am still over the Spanish Branch and the English Ward. But now I get to help a greenie learn what I am still learning!! STERLING HELP ME!! haha But really If i could, I would love to ask for your prayers because I really need help learning this language, I am struggling because I just don't have many chances to practice it! It won't stick.. So I ask for your prayers to be able to help this new missionary because I really want to work as hard as I can and help him set the tone for his mission! Thank you so much! Other than that the work is going along. Hasn't been great this week, but We worked hard so all is well. We set a baptismal date with Another member of the Juarez family! There are 3 daughters and we got the 3rd one to commit to July 13th! We just need to get the Dad. Our English work is coming along, We have spent alot of focus on this spanish branch and I feel bad about that, so we need to find a balance for both and be able to work both areas and help each area to grow. It 2 totally different circumstances with each one, so it's very different, but It's definitely fun and challenging. I love it though. I love being out here, I love that Michael is out here doing the same thing too! He's on a plane to Tonga right now! Crazy!!! Hahaha what a flippin stud! I am so glad I have all you brothers and brother in laws and Dad as my examples out here! I am so blessed because of that and I seriously think about what you guys would do in certain situations or how you would handle things and it helps! Obviously I ask the Lord to know what to do, but alot of times he directs me to think of your examples. So i Thank you for that :) Family I LOVE YOU!! I am so grateful for you and I can't believe I am out here, but I love It!! Please send my love to everyone! Love, Elder King :)

June 10, 2013 Letter with pic

Family!! :) How is everyone?! It is awesome to hear about you all :) And Happy birthday yesterday Greg! And Christee! Happy birthday tomorrow! And I sent a letter for you birthday kiddo so be looking for it! and P.S. You aren't allowed to date yet! :) So don't get too excited! haha just kidding.. but seriously. zip zada nada. So sounds like eveything is going pretty well for everyone! That's good news and I am happy to hear that! So Texas! It has been a good week! We have been staying really busy with both the ward and the branch and we have been talking to ALOT of people! We have 2 people in spanish really close to baptism, that's the rest of the Juarez family that was just baptized a couple weeks ago, and for english we have 3 that'll most likely accept a date and be baptized! Our teaching pool has defintely been filled again! The Lord with always bless you with more and more! It's amazing! It's summer now so EVERYONE is Barbequing out here! haha it's an awesome time of year! But Spanish is coming along as well! I am learning little by little but i am learning! It's amazing because all of the sudden sometimes I'll notice that the words just flow! And sometimes I have no idea what to say or what word to use! The lord works miracles!! And I had cow tongue tacos for breakfast this past saturday! They are actually way good! Looks like normal beef, but it has a different taste to it! They are wonderful! I love being a missionary, I love doing the Lords Work. I love that Michael is out the same time as me and I emailed him last week and he emailed back! So it's been nice to talk to him!! P.S. Jonathan Garces, I have been thinking about him the whole time I have been out here, but I keep forgetting to ask! What's the deal with him?? Well Family I absolutely love you and pray for you! I apologize for the short letter, but I will do better next week! And P.S. could you send me some consecrated oil? I have used all mine up in my vile! I've given quite a few blessings as a missionary.. haha Thank you so much for everything! Let me know if there is anything I can do :) Love you all!! Love, Elder King

June 3, 2013 Pictures

June 3, 2013 Letter

Hola Familia! Another week gone by WAY TOO FAST! So crazy!! But It's been so wonderful here!! It's been getting Pretty dang hot though! We've had up to 117 and I guarantee higher. Not going away anytime soon either! But it's all good! I would so rather have this than the cold, so I love it :) Sounds like the family is still doing amazing! And dad you are a stud of a missionary! I wish we had people like you here who would give us refferals everyday! haha But I am proud of you and that is such a cool experience and an amazing example to me, so thank you :) CHRISTEE IS STILL NOT DATING!!! haha gotta wait 2 more years kiddo :) so soon! And Greg! happy birthday on the 9th! Time flies by so fast here. I keep praying for all of you so I hope all is going well! I love you all and love hearing about you! And those little kiddo's are the cutest little things! I can't believe cooper is walking and man Adam is going to kick my butt with all his karate belts when i get home!! Texas, is just wonderful :) We kinda baptized our teaching pool, so we are searching for more people! We have been focusing a lot on less active spanish people so we can help grow the branch and get it stronger! But we will continue to search for people to teach and bring to the truth! haha One of our recent convert baptisms from the last week reminds me sooo much of Dad! I don't know why, but just the way he acts talks, everything just reminds me of Dad. It's a tender mercy and awesome. Dad you really need to meet him. You and him would get along quite nicely :) haha Spanish is coming along! Still got a lot of work to do and a long way to go to even be confident in it, but It will come. I love it though and I am understanding a lot better! haha We were visiting a less active spanish guy from colombia and he has his spanish music going and while we were talking to him, he'd randomly start dancing, and he also had a couple beers, and he was trying to get me to dance with him, and oh man it was funny. I just kept saying No Puedo! No puedo! hahahahaha it was funny and quite the memory. I love it here and I love being a missionary! There is no other place I'd rather be! I feel Mom's presence every day here and I feel so blessed! I love you Family! I am grateful for you and your prayers and your support and love! I will be forever grateful! I'll send some pictures so you can be updated :) I love you!!! Love, Elder Baffew King :)

May 27, 2013 Letter

Hola Familia! Family I love you!! I am so grateful for you!! It sounds like everyone is doing well! MICHAEL IS IN THE MTC!!! AHHHHHH!!!!! That is so crazy that he's there! Oh man I am so proud of him!! I love him to death! What a super stud! He is seriously one of the strongest people I know :) Cute little Lindsay! I am glad she's ok! Grandma is looking out for her :) I can't believe Cooper is walking and holy cow Aspen and Rex are WAY TOO mature for their age! haha cute little kids! I love hearing about them! I don't have much time today because we are going on the Air Force Base here and taking a tour of the B-1 airplanes! It's Dyes Air force base! I will probably have to send pictures of the baptisms next week! I apologize! Since it is Memorial Day no where is open so all the missionaries want to email here at our apartment complex where we email! So we had 4 baptisms this past weekend!! 3 Spanish and 1 english! They were amazing! I got to Baptize the mom of the Spanish girls! And It was crazy doing it in Spanish but it was so amazing!! I loved it! And I also got to confirm her the next day! That was tough.. Being directed by the spirit in a language you don't know how to speak... haha all i can say is THE LORD WORKS MIRACLES!! haha I was able to say some things and words popped out that I didn't think would! It was amazing! The spirit is awesome here and I am way excited to keep going onward!! I got a letter from a friend in college saying that one of my roomates got baptized this past week!! SOOO COOL! I thought sterling might like this but our english baptism he was a Ranger in the Army! He fought in Vietnam when he was 18 and he is retired now, but I love talking about his stories and his medals and he's awesome. haha Makes me think of sterling everytime. He's an E7. That's a 1st Sergeant. It's cool. But anyways, sorry to be brief, but I love you family!! Life is amazing!!! And i love being a missionary! LOVE YOU FAMILIA!!! Love, Elder King (I will be waiting for some wedding invitations sometime soon :) hahahahahaha

May 20, 2013 Letter

Well hello familia!! Man I can't believe how fast that week went by! Seemed like an eternity, but now that I am here I can't believe that it's been a week since we talked on the phone! Crazy how fast time flies here. MICHAEL!!!!!! TONGA!!!! it's not Texas Lubbock mission... But I guess it'll do... hahahahaha CONGRATULATIONS!! I seriously can't stop smiling for how happy I am for you. You were meant to go there man and the people just can't wait to have you there!! That is amazing news!! And next monday?!?! Talk about holy cow you leave sooooo soon!! Better get packing!! Christee!! NO DATING!! Mom and Dad lied when they said you were born in 1997! They really meant 1998! So you still have one more year :) hahaha Kiddo I love you! Be careful who you go on dates with and remember!! It's OK to say no :) But I am excited for you! It's one of the funnest things to do! Man, It seems like life just flies by with how many things are going on! But it's only been 3 months! crazy stuff! I love hearing about those cute kiddo's ripping you off at restaurants, walking now, becoming stronger than Arnold Schwarzennegar. however you spell it.. haha And just growing up! Please send my love to those cute little Kiddos :) Texas, it's absolutely wonderful. Burning hot and in the 100's now, but just wonderful! We had our first official Spanish sacrament meeting yesterday for the brand new Spanish branch! I have never seen so many White people in a spanish branch... haha, but we'll change that soon enough :) It's tough because now that the branch has started we really have to focus on that one, but we need to still help the english ward, and man it's tough juggling the 2! We have 5 units attending the same building, 3 wards and 2 branches. it gets pretty hectic! Spanish Ward goes from 2:20 to 5:20 and English ward goes from 1 to 4... Overlap makes things difficult! But we'll figure it out! Guess how many hours I spent at the church yesterday??? 9 hours!!!!!!!!!! I spent my whole day pretty much at the church!! It was one long day... Got to the church at 11 for correlation meeting and left at 8 o clock after a baptism... I never left in between either. man I was going crazy in that tiny building! haha One hectic day but it was awesome. On saturday we had a BBQ with the Spanish family we are baptizing and it was awesome! We had Carnitas and elotes. Elotes are the things one Nacho Libre! The corn in the chile with mayo! hahaha they are too shabby! :) And my favorite thing ever! Tripitas! Cow intenstine! hahaha they actually weren't too bad. it's all mental, but it tastes like beef jerky, but it's just intestine... and looks like intestine.. haha not too shabby either though :) We have 4 baptisms coming up this weekend! We have David in English, and Martha, Martha, and Jacelyn in Spanish (Mom and 2 daughters) All on saturday! That's going to be another busy day probably spent at the church as well :) There are baptisms at 11, 2, 4, and 6. Crazy stuff! Work is progressing! The Mom, Martha, asked me to baptize her so I am way excited! But I have no idea how to speak spanish so I am so scared! haha But I guess I got some memorizing to do!! And if one of them asks me to confirm them I'll be even more toast!! Oh dear, I gotta learn fast. Spanish is coming EXTREMELY slow here because we just don't have enough chances to speak it! But it is definitely possible to learn it so I won't give up on it at all! I am happy to hear about how everyone is doing and I hope everyone knows that I love them sooooooooooo much and I pray for you all individually every night!! Greg you definitely have to send me pictures of your trip adn scuba diving! And i will definitely take some pictures of riding my bike! haha I always forget to do that, but I will try hard to remember! I love hearing the stories and I am so excited for Michael!! It's the best thing EVER out here!! And I know all the boys can agree with me on that one :) Family I love you sooo much and I will continue to pray for you! Hope all goes well and so happy that I'm here. LOVE YOU!!! :) Love, Elder King (Walker Texas Ranger)

May 13 Letter

Family!! It was so wonderful to be able to talk to you yesterday!! It doesn't feel like I have been gone too long so that didn't really seem like anything too out of the ordinary for me to call you guys! haha But I loved it! Thank you for everyone and talking to me and your love! I love you guys so much!! And Michael I can't wait to hear where you go! No matter where you go, we'll be waking up each day and doing the exact same work with an angelic mother so talented she can help us both whenever we need! That is going to be a neat experience!! So I don't know what else to ask about because I pretty much got the jist of it yesterday! But family I love you sooo much! I guess just keep me updated and If you could, I would love my basketball shoes, definitely more pictures of the family because I only have a couple, and I can't think of anything else! Texas is still great as always! Definitely heating up alot more here lately, and it'll be triple digits soon enough! Oh joy!! :) haha where I am is humid as well so that doesn't help much! But I would rather have heat than cold, so I am grateful :) I have a new companion you all know I think. his name is Elder De***** and he is from Og**n! He's a huge help to my spanish because he's pretty good at it, and They announced on sunday the opening of the spanish branch here so I will be able to learn more spanish here soon! I am very excited for that. ummm... I don't know what else to say! I think I told you everything.. but If you have any questions I would love to answer them! I get to have tripitas this saturday which is intense, I love my bike, I will send some pictures today of stuff I haave recently decided to photograph... haha some of the pictures are funny just read what it says on the sign! like the milk one... and hmmmm.. I don't know what else!! I love you family!1 I will continue to pray for you! Hope all is well in Utah :) Love your Texan( Part Texan, not full yet) Elder :), Elder King OH!! P.S.!! I saw my pictures and this past week we had a Tornado warning!! The AP's texted us and told us to stop working for the day and go home!!! So You will see some sweet pictures of the clouds and it rains pretty hard here. When it rains it POURS. But The Tornado missed us luckily it went a little south of us, but it was pretty neat! Just thought I'd tell ya :)

May 6th Letter

Familia!! Como estan??? Haha and that's about how good my spanish is.. haha just kidding. but seriously.. How is everyone?!?! Thank you so much for the updates on everyone! I feel like I am home because i feel like I know about everythign going on with everyone! haha But It makes me happy to hear all is well. I love you Family!! I pray for you individually every single night, so I sure hope you can feel my love from Texas! Michael!! Dude I can't wait for you to get back out!! That is so exciting! and SOO SOON! Hold fast till then!! Things going on in Texas! Well this week was a definite shift from the last!! That past week was sooooo rough.. man it was tough, but the Lord was just preparing us for this next week!! We have 5 new investigators and we have 3 baptismal dates set with hopefully 2 more and whoever else we find! So the Lord definitely prepared us to have an amazing week! If everything goes well I will have 9 baptisms within my first 2 transfers! BUT that is according to my diligence and faith, and to their desires and actions. So all I can do is share and work my hardest and hope for the best! And of course with all that good happening.. something comes out of nowhere... Transfer calls were this last saturday and my trainer is getting pulled away to go be a Zone Leader in Hobbs New Mexico! So I get someone else to finish training me! It's going to be tough because I know the area and whats going on and he doesn't so I will have to be the one to take charge in alot of things, but I am brand new! But the Lord loves me enough to throw me in the fire and just get the new guy stuff over with and GET TO WORK! haha I really am going to miss my companion because he's helped me through so many things and I can't thank him enough for setting the tone for my mission. My next companion goes home after this transfer, but I hear he'll work hard with me, so I hope for the best! That means I will have 3 different companions within my first 3 transfers of the mission. haha good ol change :) Spanish is coming along... slowly.. We are beginning to teach more spanish lessons, but I still haven't progressed much.. I have lost alot of my ability from the MTC due to not speaking, but just got to work that much harder! We had 7 spanish people to church on sunday, and the spanish branch should be getting started soon! So hopefully I can speak A LOT more spanish! I love it here in Abilene though, never gonna live in Texas, but I do love the people here. haha I miss the Mountains and the Green! but I think I am in the greenest part of the mission so I am blessed. Oh by the way!! This will be fun to know for the boys. Friday Night Lights the movie? All that is in my mission! Permian high school is in odessa which is like 2 hours away and Cooper high school is 10 minutes away. So that is where I am where all that went on and stuff! Haha just thought I'd let you know. Family I really love you so much! I am so grateful that I can write you and hear about you and Serve you by being out here!! I want you to know that there is no place I'd rather be and no work I'd rather do! It's the greatest work here on the earth and I get to be a part of it! Oh and Michael I'll put in a good word to the President about getting you down here :) I love you family!! I pray for you everynight and I am so grateful for you! I love Hearing about you all, and the Cute Kiddos from Brittani, and their adventures :) I love you all!! Love, Elder King (Mafuhatus)

April 29, 2013 Letter

Family!!!! Well it is wonderful to be able to write to you another week!! I am sad to say that not much has changed since last week.. It has been an extremely rough couple weeks for me and my companion! We had those four baptisms and then NOTHING. We have worked our hardest these past couple weeks and we haven't had anything. The Lord is definitely humbling and preparing us for something great! I am so excited to find out what it is! But it's been tough because I went on companion exchanges on tuesday and we spent the WHOLE day driving the city trying every possible person and no one was home. No one. It was like 6 at night when we knocked a street and got 4 contacts!! The whole day with NOTHING and then at the end 4 people on one street! That made it all worth it. But the days are going like that here! they are a minute to minute fight with satan to push past him and keep working as hard as you can! I still absolutely love it though :) There are soooo many good experiences here that just outweigh the bad a billion to one. Its so awesome. I had the opportunity to confer the priesthood upon someone!! That was so cool!! It's my first transfer and I have been blessed to Baptize someone, Confer the Holy ghost upon someone, Confer the priesthood upon someone, and give a couple blessings! What priveleges I have been blessed with!!!!! Malachi is the name of the 15 year old I conferred the priesthood on. He is a super stud! He is so funny and Just a joy in life. We actually just started teaching his brother as well! So we might have those two now, and then next we just have to get the mom there with them :) When one person drops, it seems like the Lord puts another out there for us. It's getting pretty hot here! It's only the spring time, but we've had some hot days.. and apparently that's nothing compared to the summer... fetch. haha But oh well it's all good! Just make sure to teach lessons all day and I won't have to be in the sun right?? haha I am getting pretty confident in my teaching in english! But then we go to spanish.. and... it all goes away. haha I love speaking spanish, but I can't. I need to have more faith and trust and practice tons more!! But we don't even have a spanish branch out here so it's tough. We are teaching one family and they have a date for the 31st of May! So we are excited about that. I love this family so much and the make me feel so welcome every time! She cooks pretty dang good food! But one night she cooked something and everyone was talking about it, and I asked what it was and no one would tell me. Being polite I scooped up a bowl and grabbed some tortillas and began to eat it! It was definitely different.. haha I ran out of tortillas and grabbed my spoon and looked at what i was about to put into my mouth and then i knew what it was... I saw the little bumps on the skin of a pig... I was eating Pig and cow intenstines!! I almost about died. It made my stomach so sick that I really couldn't take another bite! I felt terrible, but I was going to throw up.. haha So that is the craziest thing I have eaten so far and probably the craziest because I am only in Texas. But I didn't like it at all! Christee you should cook it for the boys and see if they like it!! hahaha :) It's called Menudo, I think.. The taste wasn't too bad, but the texture was squishy and just what was in it was just... bleh. I won't go into more detail because It makes me sick thinking about it!! haha But the work is progressin and slowly at the moment, but it is progressing! Family I love you!! I am so glad to be apart of you and to be able to be out here and be apart of this! Thank you for all your support and raising me to be where I am today! It is truly a blessing! I love you all so much and pray for you every single day! Please send my love to everyone! Thank you!! And oh yeah! I get to call you guys on Mothers day! Which is the 12th I believe... I don't know what time yet, but I will let you know :) Love you all!! Love, Elder King (The pebble)

April 22, 2013 Letter

Family!! I love you all!! It is such a joy to hear all about you all!! And Happy Birthday to everyone because I miss alot of birthdays already!! I apologize, but trust me I think about you all the time and have you in my heart constantly!! From what I hear it sounds like that family is doing good and progressing in everyone's individual aspects! That makes me happy!! I am so glad! Michael I wish i could've heard your talk!! I bet it was amazing though!! And Christee you can't get your license until I get home!! haha Texas is still good ol Texas! This week was pretty rough going... Alot of people punched on our appointments. (Punched means cancelled by the way, don't ask me, that's what everyone calls it and it catches on) We struggle with getting members to our lessons as well. Our ward is notorious in our mission... not for good either.. There are very very good people in this ward, but hardly anyone will work with us, or help us out in any way! Apparently this area has been white washed quite a bit so the ward got bitter about it, but we are starting to gain back their trust and it's progressing, but it's a huge obstacle we face is our own ward! It is sad, that it is that way but we can have success and earn the trust of the ward, we just gotta keep trying! I am learning so much out here and it's crazy how much you learn in such a short span of time!! The mission recieved 25 new missionaries when I came and they will receive another 25 this next transfer which is in 2 weeks! That is 50 new missionaries is this mission within 3 months! How crazy is that! THe work is going forward!! Ok so a couple fun facts about the town I am currently serving in. Abilene, Texas: 1. Has the most churches per capita in the entire world!! So like there is a mormon church on every corner in Utah, that is the same here, but with Baptist, or church of Christ, or Methodist, or any of those! 2. Abliene Hosts the "BYU (mormons)" Of the Baptists, and the Church of Christ, and the Methodists. ACU which is Abilene Christian University is the "BYU" of the Church of Christ, and Hardin-Simmons University is the "BYU" for the Baptist, and Mcmurry something... I forgot the full name but it is the "BYU" For the Methodists! I wonder how those rivalries go down... haha So now you know a little about the area I am serving in and the people I am trying to teach! Haha It's definitely a challenge... but It is possible. I haven't been condemned by any preacher yet so I am grateful for that, but the week before I got here, a guy told my companion he was going to be damned and all that terrible stuff. So luckily I haven't had that! Yet... This week we have an appointment to go see this couple and it should be interesting. He is majoring in Religion and she is knowledgable about the Bible. Whenever we tried to bear our testimony they come right out saying "Let me Axe you a question." haha So hopefully it's not a bashing session because nobody wins in those... So please pray for strength for me if you would! Spanish is still coming really really slowly out here! I haven't been able to speak much at all! But I think next transfer I will become a pure spanish missionary without an english ward, because of all the new missionaries coming in!! So hopefully everything works out with that! That'd be nice! If there is anything else you want to know about here just let me know! I can't really think of anything right now.. haha Family I love you so much!! I am so grateful for you and am so happy for all you do for me! Keep coming closer to the Lord and everything will be ok :) I love you all and pray for you constantly!! Please send my love to everyone! Love, Elder Matthew Todd King

MTC Pictures (These were also the March 21st, 2013 Letter- it was a picture letter!)