I'm getting transferred!!

Hey everyone! Well I don't have a lot of time so I'll just get down to it. The area is going really great it's start to really grow! But I'm getting transferred! It's only like 20 miles away. I'm moving to an even smaller town. It's 3 towns that has 3 by 3 blocks and one has a gas station so that's good! It's a huge area and has like little trailers scattered in the woods. I'm going to actually have trees in my new area too, not just junipers. And everyone is related, like
almost to the point of scary. People are married to their sister and brothers. I'm moving to a new zone though and guess what, I'm going to be a zone leader. Ok this is crazy. There are around 200 missionaries and 14 zone leaders, and they pick me to be one. At 6 months. Talk about feeling unqualified. But I'm ready to take what the Lord gives me. Wish me luck in my new area and with my new comp. I'm hope the area I'm going to is going to be as good as this one! Love you guys

Elder Lange

I love this work and hope to never let up!

This week was awesome! We found a bunch of people to do service for and potentially teach. Then we found a guy at some apartments and invited him to be baptized on the first lesson. He accepted and is on date to be baptized in about a month. We also had a baptism of an older couple. They are super cool. They are going to make the best
members. They just stopped smoking cold turkey. Anything that Satan tried throwing at them they just ran it over like nothing happened. Plenty of times I though we would have to change their date but it just never was something they had in mind so it didn't happen. They showed so much faith getting ready for their baptism. It amazes me to see people change with being so new to the gospel. It strengthens my testimony every time. We are going to try and get one more person baptized before the end of the month. I've had 13 baptisms! Can you believe that? That's crazy to think about. Hopefully I can keep up this kind of work my whole mission. The work here just never seems to stop. We get down to about 3 or 4 on date then it shoots right back up. I love this work and hope to never let up. I know it's going to take a lot of work but the Lord is there to help me. The Lord prepares people no matter where you are, its just a matter of you putting in the work to find them. Well transfers are coming up and I know I'm
leaving for now. I don't know where but I know I'm going somewhere. Wish me luck in my new area. If you are sending any mail just send it to the mission home for now. I hope that I can do just as much now in my new area. Love you guys.

Love, Elder Lange

I prayed about it a million times!

It's been super hard lately because ever since I've been out I've had 10 or more people on date. We now have 6 and 2 of them are getting baptized Saturday. I've been super discouraged with not finding anyone to teach. Our investigator pool is just getting really small because they are all getting baptized. I've been wondering what I should do and have been trying to fix it. I thought it would be a good idea to fast about it. So Sunday I fasted. It was super cool. I prayed about it around a million times but had never thought to fast. As I fasted I found that I need to work on myself. I found myself becoming relaxed and ok with our teaching pool. So as I was thinking about all the things I could do better, 2 people we didn't even invite to church came to church and we found so many more people telling us of people we should visit and teach. Not only did the fasting tell me how I could improve as a missionary but it had immediate results. I can let the little teaching pool slow me down. It was never part of my mission experience yet but it's something I need to learn to fix eventually so why not now. I love how the Lord work in your life and answer your prayers. Then I also came to the thought of why should I be sad. I've had eleven baptisms on my mission and it's going to be 13 in couple more days. The Lord has definitely blessed me. The phrase of " if you become relaxed with the work the Lord and members notice. They do, no doubt about it. It's something I really need to work on. Even the slightest let up gives the chance for the advisory to wiggle into your life and make you feel down on yourself. The work is going to pick up soon and it all depends on me. Not my companion. Not the members. Not the investigator. Although all of these help, it depends on me how my mission goes. The people are out there and prepared you just have to put the work in to go out and find them.

Elder Lange

Sweet tie a member game me 

Pre hair cut

Fohawk

Mohawk

Mullet

4th Grade snowboarding scar

My sweet new haircut.  Lui remember that time I accidentally shaved your head, well I guess this is for you haha

House made out of doors

This kid in my district really likes Star Wars!  I get to go on exchanges him this Thursday.  He's super sweet!

This picture is for my older brother 

Spread this wonderful gift you have

This week was really good. We didn't do anything on new years because of drunk drivers so we had to be in by 6. We got to bed like an hour early. It felt super good! That's like the best thing that we could do is take a nap haha. We've been teaching quite a bit which is super good and super bad at the same time. Its good because we have been having baptisms like crazy but super bad because its hard to keep a solid teaching pool of progressing investigators. We had a baptism this week of a family but the kid didn't get baptized. He doesn't come to church because he thinks its boring but what kid likes church? He also doesn't really think its very important when we come over. He likes having us over and getting taught be I don't know if it really sticks with him. He did go to the baptism and loved it though. He thought it was one of the coolest things he saw. So he will get baptized pretty soon. Then we have a kid that has been taking the lessons for a while and will get baptized pretty soon. He struggles a lot and it's hard because his family doesn't support him. Which is weird because everyone in his family is baptized and go to church every week. They don't really get the difference between supporting him and letting him choose for himself. We are going to try to work with the family more. His name is Kaylab  and loves having us over. He is super cool just kind of has a hard time with his life. The Frees are doing super good! They are completely off cigarettes and are getting baptized on the 16th. They have been smoking for over 50 years. Imagine how hard that would be for them. Its amazing to see them progress. This week I'm going to be doing some exchanges so that should be super fun. I like exchanges and just helping missionaries one on one. Learning where they came from and learning why they do the things they do. It helps you love them so much more! One thing I would just like you to think about is how lucky you are to have the gospel in your life. It is really the most desirable thing someone can think of. You could offer me the best job, tons of money and super awesome family and I would pick the gospel 100 percent of the time. Its weird to think how lucky we are to have the gospel. People search for this their whole lives and cant find it and we just sit here with it in our hands. A lot of times we just throw it around like its nothing and now that I'm out on my mission I can never think of why I would ever do that. I love you guys. Just take a minute to think how lucky you are to have the gospel and why the Lord gave it to you and not someone else. Do something with it. Spread this wonderful gift you have!

Happy New Year from Elder Lange and Elder Shaw!!!

Latest Baptism of this great family!

Shoveling snow in Arizona!

Best Christmas present a missionary could ask for

This week went a lot better I feel like. Everything just started falling apart and things didnt seem to be working out last week but this week, everything just fit together somehow. Last week Im pretty sure I said that we had a problem with some of our investigators. They weren't married and living together and separated so they could each get money from the government. They couldn't afford to live if they were to get married. We tried talking to them about faith and things just working out with the Lord. They said that they would just have to give up on getting baptized if that is what we were going to make them do and their baptism is super close. They come to church every week and are progressing really well. I didn't want all that work and determination to just go down the drain. So that is why I was stressed out. We went and talked to the bishop and he said he would go talk to them. What I wanted to get to was truly amazing. Our ward mission leader is the judge in the town and came over to give us a Christmas present. He asked if we had a minute to talk and we told him we did. He said he looked at his calendar and  was marrying two people at 1. I couldn't believe what he was telling us. They just took the leap of faith and took action. 

I've been thinking a lot this week about how weird the gospel truly can seem to people. We go to church for 3 hours and worship someone we have never met or seen. We follow rules and live standards and yet somehow it changes lives. They just want to change because they feel its the right thing to do. It's kind of a weird thing to think about. You can pick any principle out of the gospel, and if you start living it the best to your ability it makes changes in your life. No matter what principle it is. This is why faith is so important. Nothing works unless you first have the desire to believe. Its also crazy to think about how fast faith can grow. We have only been teaching these people for a couple of weeks and they are willing to put their faith in the Lord. They are making steps to become closer to the Lord and doing things because they just feel its the right thing to do. I love how the Lord works in everyones life! He is there and will help anyone. They are getting baptized the 16th. Then we have another family that gave up smoking and coffee and are making huge steps. They are ready to be baptized on the 2nd. I cant wait to see how these people will grow throughout their life when they make the gospel part of it. The gospel truly works wonders, whether you are doing it out of your choice or obedience. It will change you for the better.


 Love, Elder Lange

The Free's on their wedding day

New Bedding! 

Study the scriptures where you go

Arizona scenery 

Talking to the family on Christmas

Pictures from Arizona!

Alec's mom talking:  I have been getting a lot of texts this week of pictures of Alec.  I'm sure it's in part because it's Christmas and people know how much we miss him this time of year and it's great because Elder Lange is terrible at taking pictures!! 

Helping clean up at a wedding reception with Elder Shaw

Talking doctrine with one of the members 

Dinner at the Solomon's house in Snowflake

Elder Lange and Elder Shaw picking up their Christmas packages from the Rapier family who so generously drove it down From Logan to Snowflake for us! 

Don't be casual

This week was super good! Elder Shaw and I were super glad to stay together. We love this area and it is doing really well. We got 2 more 9 year old kids on date this week. Hopefully we can get 2 more next week. We are trying to get up to 15 again. I think we will only get to 13 because the other two are quite a stretch. We have been teaching quite a few families but some of them are are super busy this time of year and cant meet very often. We have two families with baptisms coming up, one on the 26th and one on January 2nd. They are both having problems with the word of wisdom but they have come along way. They all use to smoke about 20 cigarettes a day if not more. They have all cut down to 0-1 a day. Well I love these families so much and cant wait to see their lives improve with the gospel. We got to go to the temple yesterday and that was a really cool experience. I learn so much just going through the temple each time. What I've been focusing on so much this week is obedience and diligence. Its so true that if you are just casual about the work the members and the Lord notices! He will put people in your life if you are obedient. I've noticed that if I'm kind of just casual with the work then things don't go as well as you would like. I've been getting kind of casual about the work and couldn't figure out what was wrong with the week. Then I read that if you aren't diligent or obedient then the Lord notices and doesn't trust you with people and the work! Its crazy how this happens! We have been working really hard at this this week. We also went to see Jay this week for the second time and they told us he had passed away! :( So sad. Its good to hear from everyone. Send lots of pics.

Love Elder Lange

This wolf is so skittish so I couldn't get a good pic close to it, but it does come to you sometimes

One morning for breakfast at the Caldwells