Christmas Skype 2013

On Christmas Day (and Mother's Day) LDS Missionaries are allowed to call or skype with their family.

We had such a wonderful time seeing and chatting with our favorite missionary!  John, Dexter, Brillo, Buddy and I headed to California to spend Christmas with my Dad and John.  It was wonderful to have my Dad involved and able to talk with his missionary grandson too!

Same ol' Park

Had to beg him to not make a face

Telling us a story... they know about his Gag Reflex... uh oh! 

I love how you can see Grandpa in the background.

Direct Quote -

I thought I better get this compliment "published"...

"I'm looking through the pictures of the Worthington Christmas, Uhh tell Dex he is looking HAWT. He looks great!" (received in an email from Dex's Brother, Elder Beach)

Apex Zone

North Carolina Raleigh Mission - Apex Zone

There are quite a few Elders and Sisters from Utah in the NCRM and more to come!  Sister Emma Driggs from our Ward will begin serving in March as a Spanish Speaking missionary. Elder Davis, the grandson of a member of our Ward should be arriving soon.  So exciting!!!

Christmas Orange

I LOVE texts and emails from Church Members taking care of my son.  Received this December 20, 2013.

Your sweet sons are here eating dinner with us. We feed them well!
You should be proud of them!
-Lyric Kinard

Lyric Kinard graduated from Jordan High, right here in Utah! She is also an artist.  Check out her website at: www.LyricKinard.com

The Straight & Narrow

Last week has been the same'ol same'ol. Tracting, and nothing really. I've given 2 blessings in the last 2 weeks. We stopped by an older lady's home, Sister W*. She is pretty funny. She just had surgery, and will be on Dialysis for a very long time. It is very sad. Although, I love being a part of and giving blessings! It is so awesome! We had a lesson finally with our 9 year old investigator. She has been pretty busy during this Holiday season. We taught her Tithing.

 On Thursday night, we had dinner at the Johnson's, who we lived with for a few weeks when I first arrived in North Carolina . I decided to pay them back by sharing the burgers Erin shipped out. So, we cooked dinner for them that night, we had the hot dogs also, man those were so good! I love the Johnson's they are such loving people!

I am loving the packages, I've gotten one from Grandma Worthington, Y'all and the Lakes. They all have fun things in them and some goodies! I'll be sure to take pictures of the one coming.  We just have the little Christmas Tree up and that's about it on the decorating. You know me. I don't like to decorate.

Brother B* is a ward missionary and lives just right down the street from us. So we stop by his house quite a lot. He is big time into straight edge razors.

Yeup, I shaved with a straight edge razor! Didn't cut myself! :) Definitely getting into this stuff when I get home!

Write the Missionaries

What is a Mormon?  Do you want to find out?  Would you like to learn more about our Savior Jesus Christ?  Would you like to hear a Christmas message?  If so,

Please Write Us

Elder Buckner and Elder Beach

205 Hampton Lee Court #1G

Cary, NC 27513

Thanksgiving and more...

I feel like I gained 30 pounds!  4 Thanksgiving Dinners-- 2 on Thanksgiving and 2 the next day.  Brother Mills served us T-Bone Steaks!  He is the sweetest old man.  He said we deserve the best for what we are doing.

I also had dinner with Michael Meyers. Yes. That is REALLY his name. (Scary Bad Dude in the Halloween Movies) Brother Meyers and his In-laws.  His In-Laws actually have a son on a mission and in the same mission as the Gustafson's! Small World!

I'm still freaking out about Emma Driggs being called to NCRM!  We are starting to get some Spanish-speaking sisters in the area now.

We've been playing football on Saturday mornings with the less actives and non-members.  It was 75 degrees here yesterday, it felt so good!

P.S. Being gone during the holidays sucks. Hard not to be homesick.

December 9, 2013

We've been out every day tracting in the pouring rain and hardly anybody lets us in.  If they do we share a message and set up a time to come back the next day and they don't answer the door when all their cars are in the drive way and we can hear them inside... really frustrating.

Merry Christmas Y'All!

This was an intense "Tie Trade" went on for a few hours, actually still is going on..

Wakin' up from studies...

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

Very Grateful for people that take care of my son and companion on Thanksgiving and every other day too! 

Happy Thanksgiving Y'ALL!

Received this by text Thanksgiving evening:
"Have the privilege of feeding your son, 

also the very first night he arrived here 

on his mission. He is a fine young man 

and a great missionary. I am Glen Mills, 

my great grandfather was the first member 

of the Church here in Wake County 

in the 1890's. You can be proud of your son. 

I am blessed in having met him. 

Thank you for raising such a fine young man."

Everyday I'm Shufflin'...

November 22 marks Elder Beach's 100 Days as a missionary!

After seeing pictures of our early Worthington Family Thanksgiving Dinner, Elder Beach did some reflecting this week -  “Can you believe that it was a year ago at the Worthington Thanksgiving dinner when Erin had everyone go around and say something nice about me and what they are thankful for!?”  Elder Beach didn’t even have his call at that time but we knew he wouldn’t be with us for the next few holidays because of his plans to serve a mission.

Actually transfers are not short this month now. It will be a full 6 week transfer so I will be spending Christmas in Cary. So you can send whatever to the Hampton Lee Court address for Christmas (full address in the right column). The end of the Transfers is New Years Eve.

Mom is curious if he climbed a tree for this pic?

This week was like any other week. It's just frustrating because we are trying to find people and we can't. We have a total of 2 investigators. No one wants to hear our message.

Nephi: These brothers of mine!  Why do they never listen?

The wedding was great! The food was so good! Had pulled pork sandwiches, Brisket, Potato Salad, Mac & Cheese and Apple Cobbler! So during the day, we helped set up, ran back to the apartment to change, ran back just in time for the ceremony. Then the music came on. I was having such a hard time holding back from dancing. Party Rock Anthem came on and I just couldn't hold it. I started to shuffle, and the photographer (Bro. Syrett) got a few pictures. We then started to help clean up and I was of course dancing while doing it.

I miss music. But I can live I guess. That's kinda all for this week… nothing too much happened.

Love ya!

Elder Beach

Multi-Tasking - Getting Ready for the Wedding (aren't their matching ties cute?)

Elder Buckner and Elder Beach at a Ward Members wedding. 

Photographer called this one:  Attack of  the Beach

Hi There Elder!

I about died yesterday...

Not literally...

So, at the Wedding...

the music...

my favorite songs...

everyone dancing....

Party Rock Anthem came on. I couldn't help it. I started shuffling. Surprised everybody there with my dance moves.  Bro. Syrett got a few picks of it.

Oh, I almost forgot. Yesterday, Elder Parker, Quorum of the Seventy was at our sacrament meeting,  I have no idea why. But right after sacrament meeting, he rushed right down to us and started chatting with Elder Buckner and I. A member was trying to pull me away to talk to for a bit, but Elder Parker pulled me right back. It was like I was the rope in a rope pulling contest. It was funny. I was like.... He..... grabbed.... my.... arm!!!!  It was great. That's all for now. I think... Love ya!

This Week's Facebook Quotes

You are not called to serve in a place; you are called to serve in place of the Savior.

We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first.

All true faith must be based upon correct knowledge or it cannot produce the desired results!

Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful. Don't be afraid of the trials and hardships that come your way! They are what make you, you!

I know not by what methods are rare.
But this I know, God answers prayer.
I know that He has given His Word,

Which tells me prayer is always heard,
And will be answered, soon or late.
And so I pray and calmly wait.
I know not if the blessing sought
Will come in just the way I thought;

But leave my prayers with Him alone,

Whose will is wiser than my own,

Assured that He will grant my quest,

Or send some answer far more blest!

It Is Crazy How The Gospel Changes Us

Holy smokes! Today was phenomenal... I honestly have no idea who I am anymore.  It is crazy how the Gospel changes us.  So today we met with Elder Baxter. I sang in a 4 man choir and I gave a talk on the Atonement.  Elder Baxter is friends with Jim Woodward.  It was such a powerful meeting with Elder Baxter. The one thing I will share with you is the quote he left us with:

"Jesus died for you, will you live for him?"

 I love that quote so much!

MOM REPONSE:  Okay, wait.  You sang in a 4 Man Choir?  Wait. WHAT???  If you know Parker at all, even just a wee bit, you would know that he would NEVER sing.  Like ever.  No. Seriously. EVER.

Saturday, November 16, Elder Beach had the awesome opportunity to baptize one of the Sister Missionaries Investigators.

So everything went great for the baptism! Everyone was there, except for her father unfortunately. So it comes time to perform it. We're down in the font, I tell her to come closer to the front since she is taller. I go to dunk her under and as we go down I see that if she continues she is going to hit her head. So I Parker, being a man large in stature, and also having received much strength of the Lord, therefore I did pick her up and slide her out of the way so she would not hit her head. ( 1 Nephi 4:31 ;))  It went great! I only had to do it once!

Believe it or not, I have made an amazing lesson to teach families at dinner appointments. The pictures are the lesson, I'll explain. The lesson is based on Alma 50. The chapter in which Moroni is preparing the cities for war. We just go through the chapter starting in verse 1

Verse 1 It talks about Heaps of Earth around the city

Heaps of Earth and Works of Timber. verse 1-2 

Frames of Pickets around as well 

He then added Towers at each corner 

He did all that to make it impossible for the Lamanites to attack them.

On the back of the Lamanites, you guessed it. Satan 

Then on the back of the city, you write the family's name. After you set it all up, you turn over all the pieces. 

On the back of all of towers, heaps of earth, works of timber. and the pickets are principles of our gospel like: Prayer, FHE, Prophet, scriptures, the Restored Gospel, etc. 

Post from Mom: Weather Alert for Cary, NC

The picture is comical… looks like a blizzard! But really? 36 Degrees?  Light Snow?  

This was Parker’s reply:

“The mail system is all messed up out here cause it sprinkled a little snow two days ago. They go insane.  You know in the movies how everyone is raiding the grocery store during like zombie apocalypses? Well that is how they were behaving, and it was barely snowing and didn’t even stick to the ground.  I wish I would have recorded it.  I was just laughing watching people raid Wal-mart and Dollar Tree over snow that isnt even sticking to the ground!”

He’s a Utah Boy!... but wait until the East Coast gets a hurricane or ice storm… eek!

Service Opens The Door For The Spirit

1st Area: Cary, NC

1st Companion:  Elder Buckner, Cedar Hills, Utah

"You could say I consider myself a HERO!"

Ello~

I actually have found 4 new investigators this last week! We were riding around in a neighborhood, and saw an elderly couple raking leaves. I was on exchanges with my District Leader, who just wanted to leave them alone and said to just go past them. I told him no, I have a feeling we should talk to them. They were not interested in a message, but I asked if they would like some help to finish raking their leaves. They gladly accepted, not expecting us to offer help. We set up a date to come back this next week to help them with their backyard and said they would love to hear a message.

After we finished with them, we continued riding our bikes and found a black woman, probably around her mid 20's  raking her yard. We asked if we could help her as well. She declined, but said she would love for us to come back and share a message this week also!

Then a while later, to kill time, haha, I decided to knock on a door. A man answered and said "I know who you are, I would love to listen, but I have to go pick up my kids." Elder Buckner and I are going back over to his house tonight to teach him the Restoration. I am so excited to see what the rest of this week will bring!  Oh! Saturday, I have been asked to baptize one of the Sister Missionaries Investigators!

Man! That does sound like a busy church week! Not as busy as mine every week ;) No I have not been able to do another temple session! I want to so bad though! It's so tempting since we are so close to the Temple here! We only get to go twice a year, before every General Conference. I did get to go once in the MTC.

Also, I have been told a lot lately that I look like Harry Potter. So I think it would be funny if you find a Gryffindor color kinda tie and send that! ;)  Elder Buckner just barely got me interested in ties... I have no idea why haha. It like hit me over night. It was weird.

Believe it or not, I haven’t had fast food for about a month!  We do eat at members’ homes but mostly we cook for ourselves.

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." ~Ether 12:6

This verse holds such an incredible promise, all we have to do is recognize that we need God's help, ask Him for help trusting that He will in fact help and through grace He will bless us. I personally have received strength as I have struggled with my weaknesses, and though the road is long and I have far to go this verse brings me such comfort as I walk that road.

Railroad

My lil buddy-Riley.  His parents gave us a ride to Stake Conference

We find

We teach

We baptize

We RESCUE

We establish the church as NCRM missionaries!

"You could say I LOVE my new camera!"

Gigantor Leg O' Beast

I can't remember the last time I got mail. (address listed to the right)

Yes, I received everyone's postcards, but that was a few weeks ago. I'll be sending them all postcards, I kinda just don't have the money right now to do so. That's an awesome Scuba costume Dex! 

That's great to hear about the Broncos! Too bad about the Falcons ;)

Not gonna lie, made me tear up about James' farewell, especially when he mentioned me.  I was not expecting that at all!  I was wondering if you could possibly get me a couple international stamps so I can still write him!   Elder Buckner was saw me tearing up and was like Elder, What's wrong?  Everything is alright back home right? haha.  Man! I love Elder Bryner!  Hana comes home already in a year!? Man! that flew by!

Yeah, I LOVE Aaron Syrett! He is hilarious, I get along with him so well. 

Oh, also, you should ask Sam Tingey if she has family in N.C. Cause I swear mom, where we had dinner last night, it WAS Sam, her name is Sister Hall.

Ever since my accident, It's been kinda going downhill but we are still teaching our 9 year old investigator. Her father is a member but has been inactive since he was a deacon.  He has been coming to church ever since I’ve been in this area.  He is working to being able to baptize his daughter.  We just taught the Doctrine of Christ last Tuesday to her.  We did a great analogy to help her understand it: You have a clear, see-through cup, and that is our "Faith". We then crumble up Oreos and pour that in the cup, the Oreo is relating to "Sin". Gummy worms are representing "Repentance", because Gummy Worms eat dirt (Oreo). After the Gummy Worms, we put Pudding in.  The Pudding is "Baptism" so then we can't see our sins anymore!  and then finally, we have to "Endure to the End" of the lesson until we can eat our nice snack we just made.

I invite you all to invite your neighbors, friends, family, even strangers to come to church, or even just check out Mormon.org! You don't have to have a name badge to be a missionary! ANYBODY can be a missionary.  It's actually quite simple!  Just invite them to go to Mormon.org, or to come to church with you!  We all have a chance to make a greater difference in someone’s life!

Love ya!

Elder Beach

We went to the largest State Fair on the east coast last preparation day

... you could say I had a blast!

Some acrobats at the Fair

Da whole Mish got together last Saturday.  Elder Zwick and Elder Pino

talked to us for 2 hours!  It was great!
(small worlds continue, Elder Jagger Moore, from Grandma Worthington's ward 
is also in this picture!)

Cotton field on the way home from our meeting on Saturday

 (cotton - cottonwood - almost like home)

Just a couple of months late, but yeah!

A freaky face I made with my bike light in my mouth - Happy Halloween!