1/21/13

Mom, Dad and Family!!!

Hi you guys. Well here I am, in Arlington Texas!
So I arrived to Fort Worth like at 7 on Wed night. Where I got picked up and driven to the mission home, I was so excited because ive heard a lot of great things about Fort Worth Texas being a rich big city like Dallas. And when i was driving to the mission home all the houses around me were so BIG i understood what they meant by everything is bigger in Texas! And we ate dinner in the really nice mission home and i was getting really excited to serve out here in this nice city.
Let me tell you something i have been humbled!
On thursday i got my new companion, his name is Elder Stratton Wilson. He is from Pleasant View Utah and he is a really good guy. Everyone tells me that i got the best trainer so i am super excited for that. Ive already learned so much from him and he is such a great guy who can talk to anyone just like that. I need to learn thaat skill! He is the district leader so we get a car!!! its so nice because the area we cover is huge.
So I am serving in Arlington, nothing like what i was expecting, its kinda like Orem where there is a nice side and a ( excuse my language ) ghetto side. And i happen to live in the ghetto side. My apartment complex is pretty nice i mean everything works pretty well, we do have some bugs in our dishwasher every now and then but other then that i dont have to many problems. My companion told me though that its normal to hear a couple gun shots once in awhile, and he has not gone a day where he has not heard the police sirens. And some of the people here kinda scare me. But the African Americans are really nice.
Now on to tracking, i still hate it and i am scared to do it. My companion made me do it the first night that i got here and i was so nervous but it went pretty well, they did not want to talk to me so we said bye but i still hate it. Most of the people are nice though, they all preach about how the LOVE jesus and everything, there are SO many churches everywhere you go!! and on sundays the police have to stop traffic and make it so people can go to church. Everyone is super nice most of the times and they are so funny to talk to. There are so many interesting people here and sometimes it can be a little scary. The third night i was here this guy in the ward called me and told me he wanted to drive he car off a cliff! He suffers from depression, and it scared me to death i did not know what to do because i never worked for a suicide hotline! Things go taken care of though, umm some lady we teach has 13 cats and the people here are just really weird. But a member honestly feeds us everynight!! and its a lot of food! my companion gained 20 lbs and he has only been out here for 8 months!! so i always tell them when i am full but some of them keep putting food on my plate!
I've really learned to be humble though like some of the neighborhoods are crazy just nothing and i feel bad and then i think how good i have it, i hope you guys work on that, just being humble :)
other then that church was weird, not a lot of people i miss our ward. the bishop is really cool he sent that email of my and my companion so that was nice ( mom some lady named april friended you on FB, she is a new convert with 7 kids!!! and is trying to raise them in the gospel, maybe write her some home evening lesson plans or how you have controled just 5 kids, she doesnt have a husband and the kids are crazy. )
I asked someone to be baptized! and he said he would if he prays and ask if the BofM is true!! it was so scary. but we also asked this other kid named Terrance to be baptized.
We met him on the street and he read the story about joseph smith and the spirit was so strong and he said yes, we are just working on getting him to church!
I got really home sick on sunday i miss you guys so much you have no idea, and sometimes i feel like i cannoot do this its a lot of work! but my companion said that if i put my trust in the lord, i will not have to worry about anything! im trying to do that!
all the letters you send to Euless i wont get for a while my address for 12 weeks is

Elder Jacob Boettcher
408 N Fielder Rd Apt # 139
Arlington TX 76012

By the way there are a ton of Samoan and TOngan wards in Euless its pretty cool.
There is so much more i want to tell you, but i have to go and i have to plan what i am going to teach the youth! we are teaching them on tuesday!
I love you guys so much!!!
Elder Boettcher