7-2-12

Hey, This week was hard as Melvin, our recent convert, told us Wednesday that he wants nothing to do with the church anymore due to some stupid stuff and he got into anti things. Made Wednesday a really hard to want to do anything. On Friday, we had an all mission activity and Chester Elton talked to us. It was neat and we had a lot of fun. On July 4th we are going to go watch fireworks over the Hudson from New York, but we will still be on the NJ side. Brother Slater, who does the catering BBQ said that when y ou come and pick me up that on August 7th he will do a dinner for us. I'm excited since it's very good. Next Monday, July 9th, I won't be emailing but I will on July 10th. The 9th I am going to Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty with all the departing missionaries. I am very excited since going home is the only time you get to go. July 6th we have zone conference - those are always great experiences. July 17th is my birthday but also transfers. I think I will stay in Princeton but there is a chance I could get transferred. I would hate it as I only have three weeks left at that point. But I know for sure I will at least get one new companion if not two. Just 21st I go to the temple with President and his wife and the other elders going home early. I just finished reading the Pearl of Great Price and now 35 days left of reading D&C and that's done. I will have read everything at least once other than the bible. So, that's about everything going on here. Lots to keep me busy and make the end of my mission go really fast, so I am excited. Elder Sanders

Random Pictures

Pictures of Crabbing

6-12-12

Hey everyone, There isn't anything to report other than I am probably going to finish my mission in Princeton since I am not getting transferred. I really don't think I will get transferred for three weeks or so. I am excited because I love this area and ward and I get to keep my companion and I really like him. Today, we woke up at 3:15 a.m. and went crabbing and had a lot of fun til it started to down pour around 10:00 a.m. We were soaked and that wasn't fun. We had a great feast eating them. It's been the best day of my mission so far. Nothing else is going on. I can't wait to see you all in two months. Elder Sanders

5-21-12

Hey, So this week we had the baptism of Melvin M

artinez. He is 15 years old and is just an amazing kid. This has been a good week. Not a lot really going on other than that. Just counting down the days til I get to come home and look forward to seeing everyone in as David says 76 days. Take care. Love, Elder Sanders

Report in Church

Elder Sanders will be reporting in Church on August 19th at the Aspen 10th Ward building located at 1546 N 1100 W OREM,UTAH 84057 at 11:00 a.m. We will be visiting over at his grandparent's home at 1130 N 980 W in Orem @ 12:30 p.m. after the meeting.

4-30-12

Hey, So this week has been a really good week. I got a new companion on Tuesday. I am excited. His name is Elder Marshall from Ogden, Utah. He is so much better then my last companion and we get along very well. Wednesday, was his birthday so I took him out to 5 Guys to get dinner one night. Today, we are going to Brother Slater's, who is a member here that does catering BBQ and makes really great food, ice-cream, and cakes so ia m excited because we are celebrating my companions birthday. I am very excited about it. We went to a place in Princeton that isn't that expensive called Zorba's Brother. It is a very good Mediterranean/Greek/American place. We also found an ice-cream place called the Bent Spoon, that is voted one of the best places to go in America. Oh my, is it amazing: A place to go on our family trip when I come home. Also been eating a lot of pizza this past week. It's been greta. I found the best pizza and Philly cheese steak that I have had so far in New Jersey. I love food and NJ has got some amazing places. I have been going to therapy for my back. Still having some pain but it's starting to get better. This week we have also done a lot of service - from yard work to moving people, we have done it all. Bit it has been a great week. Funny story this week, as we were down in Trenton, the state capitol. We were walking back to our car when this black guy stops us and asks if we know Hebrews 7:1 or something like that. We are like, not from memory. So he quotes it to us and then says, "I am Melchizedek, the high priest of the most high God." We just tried so hard to not bust up laughing. Some people are crazy. Oh, the fun you have on a mission. Elder Sanders

4-16-12

Hey, My mission president gave me the okay to come home on August 6th instead of August 15th, so I think we should plan on that. Elder Sanders

4-16-12

Hey, Not really anything going on here but here are some pictures of Princeton Campus. It's awesome. It feels and looks like a huge castle. Elder Sanders

3-26-12

Hey, Not much going on here. Last week we went to Washington Crossing State Park, so two fo the pictures are from there. One is of a Black Squirrel. I have never seen one of those before. Also, the meal we made. We decided banking the chicken is better than in the frying pan. Also, because my back is messed up, due to my mattress and they are getting me a new one that isn't all messed up, I have been sleeping on the couch because it's better than the bed. Today, we are goign to play basketball as a district, maybe a zone, I don't know. Our baptism, I don't know what is happening. He is so hard to meet with so we just have to keep pushing it back. He wants to get baptized and we know he will, we just don't know when it will happen. We got a few others who are really close. So that's good. Just loving the warm weather and excited for conference. Take care, Elder Sanders

3-12-12

Hey, The pictures are on Sourland Mountain where we went hiking the other week and also me in a Trenton EMT jacket I got from our investigator, who should be baptized on the 25th. He is a fire fighter and worked for the state police, so he gave me the jacket and is giving me other NJ EMT stuff. It's kind of cool. This week not a lot happened. Just continuing to go about finding people to teach. We did go to this less actives house in Trenton. She is from Africa and we had our ward mission leader with us. Afterwards, she gave us dinner. It was a stew that had seafood, chicken, goat, and I don't know what else with like sea weed or something over rice. It was so nasty and all three of us the next day were not doing so good. That was not fun. That's about it. Elder Sanders

2-27-12

Hey, Well, this week has been a pretty good week. On last Saturday I got sick and lost my voice for a few days but now I have a voice and am doing well. A member here in Princeton is a natural healer and I saw him and he did some stuff and now with my health I am feeling better. I still have problems with the lymph nodes but over all I am doing great health wise. I am having a hard time with my companion. We really don't get along and sometimes I just want to kill him. Also, I am getting stressed out with some things dealing with Princeton since we moved from the last time I was here. We don't have a washer and dryer and it's not a big deal paying to do laundry but it's a lot of work and because of where we live now we are away from a lot of people.Se we have tot ake the bus into Princeton once a week, since on Thursdays we can't use our car. WEll, this takes a lot of money and my companion likes to eat out a lot ans stuff and I am tired of fighting with him about the mission money not extending to eating out a lot, but I give in and I hate using my debit card but I have to because I do not have enough mission funds. I am just ready to knock him out or something. Well, on a better note, last Monday we went to the Princeton Battle Field. That was fun. We also went into Trenton to the New Jersey State Museum. It's nice this is all free. I was't impressed with the Museum; it wasn't that great. Across the street is a World War II wall, so we also went and saw that. The Battle Field and the Wall is where all these pictures are from. We also went to a place called Halo Farm. Wow, do they have the BEST ice cream! and milk, eggs, and stuff really cheap. So that was great also. The best part of the week was we got a media referral named Sandy. He met this gril online playing Scrabble and they got to talking. Well, she is from Utah and is a member. They talked about the church and it came to the point she invited him out there. He went out and at Temple Square he said he felt something he never has felt before and knew at that point he needed to change his life. He has studied on his own and knows a lot about the church. When we met him he already knew what ward he wa in. Well, we met with him on Saturday and he asked us what he has to do to get baptized. We taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he really wants to have that feeling back and he already has a testimony and said no matter what people think, he isn't turning back; this is what he needs to do and he loves the difference he already sees in himself. She is planning on coming out here the end of March and they are going to Palmyra. We set him with a baptismal date for the 25th of March so she can be here for it and he is so excited. He worked with the state police and does fire fighting now. he knows I am an EMT so he is giving me NJ EMT souvoniers. But we are excited to see what happens with him. Today we are goign to hike the Sourland Mountains. Well, that about it. Take Care. Elder Sanders

2-13-12

Hey, So this week was a pretty good week. Last Monday we went to Red Lobster for lunch since I had a $50 gift card from Christmas and now I have a Red Lobster close by! On Wednesday, we got a referral from a member. We went and taught this girl named Zula and her cousin. They are both from mongolia so it's interesting. They have no idea about God or the Bible so we will see how this goes the next few weeks. On Saturday we had an all mission conference with Elder Jay Jensen of the Seventy. He is an amazing man. he talked a lot about missionary work, how to study scriptures, and the power of the word. It was a great meeting. He said something that really stood out to me. He said, many people say we are not Christian and he said it's true. By definition we are not according to the different creeds. He said that's good, I dont' want to be one of those Christians because they believe Christ is still on the cross and God, Christ and the Holy Ghost are one. He said we need to stand proud and be the Christians that believe that God and Christ have bodies and that they live today. After, we went to Cluck-U-Chicken, and I did the hot wing challenge. I only got through four wings out of 10 in the 5 minutes. It wasn't how hot it was that got me. It was trying to eat a wing every 30 seconds. That's hard to chew and swallow that fast. Well, it was fun trying anyway. We also found out that our mission president has kidney cancer and is going back to Utah for surgery. So we don't really have a mission president right now. A senior couple has been put in charge but it's kind of weird. His family has been going through a lot recently. On a good note, there is a member here who does natural type healing. We had dinner with them yesterday and I just stated talking to him and now I am going to start seeing him once a week for free and getting things taken care of. yesterday, he did some things and I already feel a bit better. So we will see how things to. Take care! Elder Sanders

1-23-12

Hey, This week I don't really have anything to say. Nothing really happened this week other than we did a lot of service and we got some snow. On Sunday, we find out if we get transferred. I hope this week goes fast and that I do end up getting out of here. Hope everyone is doing well. Elder Sanders

1-9-12

Hey, Not a lot happened this week so sorry I don't have much to say. I got a cold that I am trying to overcome and on Thursday we have Zone Conference, so I hope to feel better by then. On Sunday, we are going to have a baptism for a guy from Haiti, who doesn't speak English, so it's been fun teaching him and his wife sice we have to use translators, but I love this family a lot. His wife is about to have a baby and wants to wait until after she has the baby to get baptized. We are excited to be having a baptism. It's been close to a year since I had one so it's a good feeling to be having another. That's about all thats goign on here. Take care. Elder Sanders

1-3-12

Hey, This week not a lot really happened. Church starts late, sometimes an hour, and it is really frustrating. You never know what is going to happen. There are some great people in this area but I am ready to be transferred, although I that may not happen for some time. This week we went to Rite Aid and when we came out a guy chased us down and wanted a Book of Mormon. That same day a form investigator stopped us on the street and wants ut to come teach her again: That was a huge miracle for us. Other then that it's been a slow week where nothing really has happened. Take care. Elder Sanders

12-27-11

Hey,

Well, I am now serving in East Orange in a walking area. It has been a weird experience to be in the "hood" as it is called: Lots of crazy people here. My address now is 108 South 11th St. #1 Newark, NJ 07107. Christmas was great and I got to eat so much food from Haiti. It was also a lot of fun to have my mission presidents son in-law. Alex Boye come sing to us for our all mission Christmas conference. I am excited that we have two baptisms set for the 8th, so pray that they will get baptized. Also we have another set for the 22 or 29th. So things are going well here. Sorry, not a lot to really talk about. but I do have a funny story that was creepy at first. We went to see the girl who is set for the 22nd or so and her drunken dad answered the door. He started going off on my companion and then his mood changed after a few min. and he was saying that he liked him. He looked at me and was like this is Jesus. Elder do you know you walk with Jesus (to my companion) and was like you are so blessed to be his disciple and walk with Jesus. He just went on for like 10 min. before he let us in his house. We were just laughing after we left so hard. This is an exciting area because you never know what will happen.

Elder Sanders

12-19-11

Hey,

So this week has been a crazy week. Today I found out I am being transferred, tomorrow right before Christmas. I am ready to leave the area but wish it would be after Christmas. We have a lot set up for this week here in Morristown that I don't want to miss. This morning I solved the Rubik's 360 that I got from our district secret Santa. We had a zone breakfast at the mission home. It was a lot of fun and we all got ties from our mission president and his wife. The other day we did service for a less-active member. It was cool because we built an Ice Rink in their back yard. I thought it was going to be this little thing but it's a really nice size. It was 45 feet by 60 feet. Also we got an investigator who is from China going to school here. His name is Yi. The other day he said his uncle said he needs an English name and asked us to name him. We gave him a list of names and he liked Kyle. So Kyle, in his prayer that day when we left, prayed and thanked God for my companion and I and asked that we could be friends forever and gave thanks for his new name. It was funny. On Friday we woke up early to go to NYC with two other Elders and two Sisters. We had to be at the Mexican Embassy for one of the Elders at 8:00am. So I can say I was in Mexico on my mission for a hour. Well the temple was only a few miles away and our session was at 11:00am so from 9:00am - 10:30am we walked around the city and saw a lot of the sights. I will send pictures soon. It was a lot of fun. Also got NY style pizza. It was really good. Take Care and Merry Christmas.

Elder Sanders

Nov. 21, 2011 12:10 P.M.

Hey,

I know it's been some time since I really wrote anything and I am sorry. This we went to a really good pizza place here in Morristown called Tomato Pie. It was probably the best pizza I have ever had. Then on Saturday we spent just about all day doing service helping a member clean up all his leaves. It was crazy. We had six elders working on it and we made a huge pile and then did flips and stuff into it. We had a good time. This week we also found out that one of our investigators is going to jail for 90 days for DUI's. Today we had to practice for our missionary Christmas fireside that is on Sunday. Other then that not a lot of stuff has been going on. I love and miss you all.

Elder Sanders

Nov 14, 2011 9:09 A.M.

...I have been thinking instead of going to Hawaii next year that we put it off for another time. We will always have time to go on that trip. But this is like oncein a life time that we would be able to do this. Since I am going to UVU it's easier because I will be living at home. But I was thinking that I do want the family to come out and pick me up and then we go tour the mission and see the sights that are in NJ, NY, DC, PA and so on. Because I can always come back to NJ but I will never be able to do a trip like that and see all the sights and I would be able to if you came and got me.

(extract from email from Tyler. We had been discussing whether or not I should come and pick him up and debating about going to Hawaii instead. We now have planned a trip to pick him up on August 13, 2012. Although he starts school on the 25th and it is not a lot of time to prepare as he mentioned it is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we are looking forward to it - Heidi).