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!