December 16, 2013 - Worn shoes

(My new companion)
 

Buenas tardes!

I found out that today is a normal prep day but the next two prep days will be on Tuesday :)

I received my new companion. His name is Elder Vega and he is from Vera Cruz. And he is a big fella with a big heart to be honest. He is trying really hard to be a good missionary and what you inspire to become, you eventually become :)

I was trying to work hard and to have a lot of lessons this week, a lot fell through, but that is okay, gotta stay positive.

We had our Christmas activities this week in our 2 zones here in Durango. President came and we did a gift exchange, we ate a yummy comida, we watched Despicable Me 2 (So funny), and then there was a small talent show. But the best part was what we did as a district in the morning. We visited some of our investigators or less actives and we caroled to them so that was really special. And I still don't know the Christmas plans yet because I have to find some members with internet and a camera to skype. We have only 2 members on our side so I have to do some investigating for sure.

Ryan grats on the green belt! Your training looks like Billy Mays!

Vanessa grats on eating the most food in world history!

Keep up the good work being a missionary family! Love you

(My destroyed shoes)

December 9, 2013

Buenas Noches,

Sorry that I am writing super late. It is because I had to come back to Torreon to get my new Elder for the mission to train him so we had to take a 3 hour bus and now we are going to sleep here in the mission home and receive capacitation and then tomorrow 3 hours back to our area. But I did receive my birthday present and I loved it! Here is a photo with my ex companion and I (Elder Marquez, but i was only with him for 2 weeks and now I am training the new Elder named Elder Vega) But it was a lot of fun and I know I have the best family! Last week I showed our bishop the page on lds.org de apresurar la obra. I hope that it helps him have a little bit bigger view on the work and how we need to work together! But that is what I want more than anything dad. To have some converts that make it to the temple.. That is the best feeling! And I don't have plans yet to talk (on skype) but I will work on that this week to try and obtain where and when and what time to do all of that! But just a little reminder that this next Monday will not be our preparation day, but it will be next Tuesday for a few reasons. that will happen for 2 weeks so expect to receive my emails on Tuesday for 2 weeks only! and I will try to get all of the information for Christmas and all of that jazz. How did Ryan play his trombone? Did he sound like a dead cow when he first started playing? Thanks again for the birthday gifts and keep preparing Kolten for his mission!  DO you guys as a family have a list of loved ones you want to help? Do it for family home evening and talk about what you can do each week to help them prepare to be taught by the missionaries (Inviting, planting seeds, giving them things to read...)

Pictures of birthday package with his ex companion and with his new companion.  Missionaries are not supposed to have mustaches!! (they are fake)  ha ha

Lo haran?

Elder Cramer

December 2, 2013

Hey family!

Wendi is an investigator that we had so special (along with her mom Claudia, her sister Yareli) they will be baptized this saturday that is coming up in my last area.. I am sad that I will not be there for it but I know they will be wonderful converts to the Lord! And yes call them because I already told them that you would give them a ring. They are so sweet and before I left I gave them a hymn book and the principles of the gospel book :) They are the best. But this week here in the Guadelupe ward of Durango, Durango was really good and there are a lot of good people that we are teaching. The only hard part is that they live a little far away from the church so it basically is a sacrifice to go to the church every Sunday for the members and the investigators. We had 5 in the church this week but we are trying to work with a few families that we have just found to go and find out if the church is true! :) 

And tell Breanna to be friends with Wendi because she is a sweetheart! she is like 16 years old also and is such a delight. The conversion of this family is amazing. :) It will be a story to tell. But I bet Nessers is getting bigger and that will be so much fun to see her baby in April! I think I will just barely beat the baby to the USA haha :) Next week I will be getting my new missionary to train supposedly so that will be fun to train again :) Right now I am with Elder Marquiz and he is way cool as well. We are having a lot of fun :) and no I have not receeved any packages or letters and I will not receive them until President comes or something like that because the offices are in Torreon not in Durango :O But they will come! :)

I miss you all and know that I love you :)

Here is a picture of me one of these days of the week because I got sick because of the cold weather. It looks like I was a drug addict :O

 

 

November 25, 2013 letter

Hey family!

The news that I have for you is first.. I'm old and the second is that I had transfers today and I got sent close to my first area! I am in Durango Durango again living in a Colonia named La Victoria if you want to look it up. I am with an Elder named Elder Marquez and I will be with him for 2 weeks to learn the area and then I will be training a new missionary here. I am no longer zone leader after 6 months of doing that.  It feels odd just looking after 2 missionaries and not having to do a lot of reports. How odd :) But this last week I did 4 intercambios (interviews) with the missionaries to try and get them excited because 2 of them in 2 weeks are going to their house and the others we just had to visit because they were our district leaders. But I really enjoyed the area of San Luis for 6 months. I am not going to be able to see my 3 converts get baptized on the 7th but I got to spend my birthday with them as they got me a cake and it was wonderful! I love them. It is funny how much the Lord blesses me here on the mission. This last Saturday we had a conference with President Flores and our Seventy about the interviews that the members should be doing and that he wants them to start over and do it again. And then the Stake Conference on Sunday and we as missionaries sang as President Flores gave an outstanding talk. He always has so much spirit Ibet you 700 pesos that he will be a Seventy in the near future. He will end his mission in July so his time is also coming to an end. I learned so much from him. I love the mission and I thank you guys so much as my family for being there to support me. I hope Ryan and Carli are still preparing to go out and pronounce this grand gospel!

I love you all a ton and I will let you know how this week went for me here in Durango, Durango :)

Elder Cramer

Birthday photos

November 18, 2013 letter

Thanks for the birthday wishes!!!

I feel old haha. (21 this year)

And I did not have transfers yet because they are this next Monday that is coming up. So who knows:)  I kind of hope they don't change me for 2 more weeks because then I will be here for the baptism of cCaudia and her 2 daughters. They are super special :D But if not well at least I could see the conversion of them and feel Gods love for them! :) I will attach a photo of them and my companion. I saw the vid of the YMCA. What a treat to have Ryan and his friend there. Actually I knew every child there except one because of swim lessons. :) It made me miss working with the swim kids! But we had intercambios (meetings) with the assistants last week and it was nice to get another perspective on things. He showed me a talk that really helped me understand what is grace. It is called "His Grace is Sufficient." I bet dad will like that a lot. It changed my mind set a little bit :) 

How is the YMCA fundraising going? How is Ness and Curt doing as they prepare to be parents!! :) They are so ready and the baby can ride Macy like a horse to the church and things like that :) But I am glad you are all okay with the tornado! I bet the work out there is just zooming. I am excited to get involved when I get back. Just a few more weeks and then we will be skyping! I don't know where I will be so I cannot make arrangements yet, but as soon as I know I will let you guys know! Here is a photo! 

Elder Cramer

Nov. 4 and Nov. 11, 2013

Hey hey my growing family!

This week was nice because we have found a few new families and that is making me excited. And the ward is in a moment of transition. It is because a lot of people are used to the way of the work of the Lord where the missionaries do everything but these times are changing and when we get to work together there will be so many that come to the knowledge of the truth. But until then we are trying to put down the building blocks for this ward and zone. We baptized this week also Nacho! He and his family have to wait a year and then they can be sealed in the temple! That will be a wonderful event for sure. :) I confirmed him a member this last Sunday and it was my first time doing that as well. I have done so many things for the first time in the gospel but only in Spanish. It will be odd doing them in English. I will attach a few photos. My companion is named Elder Arvizu and we get along really well. And I have been in this ward for 5 months now. I think in a month or less they will send me to a new area to know it and then maybe I will train for the last 3 months of my mission. And if not that is okay also. I have been in the ZL council for 5 months now. Wow time goes fast. and no I have not received the package yet but when it gets here it gets here :) And let Jacci and her husband know I love them and I am so happy that they got baptized! How is Grandma Kay holding up? I got a birthday card from Debster so that was so nice to here from them! Gotta love those guys. And Vanessa looks like she is doing a professional photo shoot there. What a nice job I bet she did. 19 baptisms is a ton. What are you guys doing to find people to teach? How many missionaries do you have?

I really like a lot of scriptures. I really like in Chapter 14 of John. verse 21.. I know that God loves all of his sons and daughters but this scripture says that there is a special love for those that obey God.. and He will manifest himself to them... that is remarkable to me. At least that is one of the scriptures that has really hit me lately. Tell me what you guys think about it. Tonight you should watch the Gorbon B. Hinckley movie... it made me cry.. I love that man.

But here are a few photos of the baptism and my companion :)

 

Nov. 11, 2013

 

Hey family! (Including Grandpa Paul and Grandma Nancy)

I am stoked for that news ness gave me. I have been pondering when the time will come that I can teach some little dudes or dudets in our family the ways of life :) And it sounds like this week has been a delight with Applebees and Pink Walruses and baby announcements and photo parties. The fam is a hoot! But tomorrow we have to give a zone capacitation and then we have a special meeting with our zone and president on Thursday followed by another meeting with Presidente Flores and our Stake President in the night time. So this week will be fun again. It is neat to see how the work changes so much like it seems now we are focusing all of our efforts on the members again as we now have instructiones to visit and teach all of the lessons to our 12 members of ward council so it will be nice to get to know the members more here in San Luis. I am going on 5 months in this area. Time flies for sure. My companion is Elder Arvizu and he is from Mexico City as well. It is neat to see him again because he started his mission a year ago and we were in the same ward as I was in La Rosa 1 and he opened La Rosa 2. So we get along really well. The members are starting to kick things into gear and are beginning to work again. Which is a good sign for us. And that is awesome that our ward is baptizing like machines! What a blessing to have a lot of fruits in our ward. If all goes well we will be baptizing again this Thursday with a young man of 11 years in hopes to prepare his family to be sealed in a year. I will send photos.. And the photos that you sent me won't display so if you can send them again that would be great. And the video that ness sent me doesn't work either so that was a bummer but I am still super happy. We found a new family this last week and yesterday She went to the church with her 6 year old daughter. She said she liked the church and has a lot of questions and that is great to hear as a missionary because it means she wants to know the answers. 

But I am doing great here and know that I am working hard to return with honor!

1. In Zone leader council we bought presidente sone cakes for his birthday

2. Helping a sister in the ward with Tamarindos covered in sugar to sell

3. Same...

4. Enjoying the end product

5. I found a tumbleweed haha

 

 

 



Oct. 14 & 21, 2013 Letter

Oct. 21, 2013

Hey family!

I cant believe little beanie baby is 16 years old haha. I never saw a bill to pass in order to give her permission to do this. I veto'edd that! >:) haha but I am proud to be a member of such a good looking family. Everyone seems to be falling in the right places in the Cramer family puzzle. And yes if I can I think it would be better to be on the fall/winter track as well. And I promise you mom I will spend less time under the bed and more time in the library hitting the books haha. Like I mentioned to mom we have a baptism this week for a less active family that reactived and we are going to baptize her 13 year old son and his 8 year old brother. They are basically pros and Jose acts alot like Ryan I think in many ways haha. Today we had  zone activities and President came so I had to guard him in basketball. Not really but he is good at basketball for an old guy ha. His power doesn't only come from the gospel. So that was really fun and now I am pretty wiped out haha. We had interviews this last week as well and afterwards President bought us tacos and it was nice to get to know him more on a personal level.. This Sunday we are going to do something that I have never done before.. Our Stake President asked us to teach all of the bishops in our stake. So President Flores, my companion, and I will be teaching all of the bishops this sunday about obedience and that when God commands we obey. So that will be a once in a lifetime experience I think haha. I have never taught with President Flores so I am stoked. But thanks very much for the fitness stuff. I am starting to lose weight again like I hoped I would :) Gotta be fit like the rest of the fam. But good job mom with the job! You will do great! And wow I will be seeing you guys in 8 weeks and one month from today (skyping for Christmas) I will be an old man of 21 years old.. Weird. :( 

Oh well haha

Have a wonderful week and remember the challenge Ballard gave us. A friend or family before christmas!

Elder Cramer

October 14, 2013
Hey hey!

The zone is doing good right now. We have 2 ex zone leaders that are training and they had to talk to us yesterday because they want help to stay focused on the mission. It is such a weird period when someone will be leaving the mission it seems because you are in the middle of thinking about yourself again and focusing on the mission. But they can call us whenever they need to. This week we will have interviews with President and that will be fun to be close to him. I thought I was going to get transferred today but another 2 weeks at least here in San Luis with Elder Nuñez. So I am going to try and find some new investigators this week! That is the goal. :) We have a family that was less active and in 2 weeks we are going to baptize Jose because he has not been baptized yet so for that I am grateful! That is the goals for right now. We are trying to stay focused and also we will be opening another area in 2 weeks. Valle Verde 3 so they will have 6 missionaries. We will see how that turns out ha :) That is great that you could go out and spend time with the fam dad! Did my tape come for Jackie yet? I miss you guys and I want you to know that I love you all.. :) Lots of hugs and make sure to let Kolten. Jackie. Scott know that I miss them all too.

Love elder cramer