9/3/13

Well, I will try to write down all of my thoughts with the time I'm given.  I sure learned a lot from the Zone Leaders and I'm no longer with them, but I am back in King George with my new companion, Elder Bowen.  Guess what?  he's fresh from the MTC!  Yes, you got it, I'm training!  I don't know what the Lord is thinking, but He knows that I'll grow and hopefully Elder Bowen will learn and grow from these weeks we have together.  I just don't want to ruin the guy, ha ha.  The MTC is the Mom and now I (the trainer) am the Dad.  Time to really break this guy in, ha ha.  I have to push him sometimes when I say, "Hey let's roleplay!" He's like uhh, I don't want to, but I'll do it when it really happens.  Ha Ha, he's not backing out of this one mwahaha!  He's a cool Elder!

So, from your email, Alex's and Luke's, it sounds like this Labor Day weekend really was SUPER awesome!  BTW, the song Alex says they played that y'all loved, is called "Two Princes" not go ahead now, ha ha!  I'm a missionary and I still know things!  So, how was Kate's birthday?  I'm getting her a card when I can.  Everything was closed yesterday:/ but it was still Pday. 

So, guess where I took Elder Bowen yesterday?  Well, before I start, he's from Orange County, California!  Woo!!!  I'm still going with not having one Utah companion so far!  Not that it matters, it's just kinda cool when half the mission is from Utah!  He long boards and is going to be 20 in December!  So, I'm his mission Dad but I'm younger, weird right?  Anyways, back to where I took Elder Bowen yesterday.  I took him to...the ER!  He had been coughing up blood with his mucus for two days and it turns out it's bronchitis.  The humidity can get so severe to cause the coughing up blood with it.  It's not too bad, the doctors said and Elder Bowen is doing great.  He's on some antibiotics now though and so far he's still pretty well and a little better.

Thanks for the quotes and the testimonies on well, obedience and staying faithful.  It has been a little hard being a trainer.  Especially when all of our appointments have fallen through this past week, and when nobody wants to talk to you, and when the weight of being relied on 24/7 to know the area and what's going on gets to you, it's stressful.  I keep doing what I believe is the best thing we can do for the day.  I just don't want Elder Bowen to be discouraged.  This definitely is a learning experience!  I'll continue to let you all know how it goes!  I love you all!  Tell Kate, Happy Birthday for me!!!!

-Elder Austin Mounts

P.S.  I met an Elder Nelson, a senior missionary serving in Washington D.C. North Mission.  He's from Rexburg, Idaho and came from Idaho Falls.  He knows Uncle Glenn!!!!  He told me to say hi for him ha ha, small world!  Nobody knows a Mounts!  Btw, where did our name come from?

Here is a quote: 

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.  You are able to say to yourself, "I have lived through this...I can take the next thing that comes along."  You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

Eleanor Roosevelt