June 14th, 2010
Dear Family,
This week was pretty darn good! To start off I need to say I've lost ten
pounds total since I've been on my mission. Five in the MTC and five out
here in the field. Its starting to get a little bit hotter here. Its real
windy which is another reason why being the Avatar, the cartoon not the blue
people, would be sooo freaking awesome cuz then i could air bend the stupid
wind out of my way when I'm riding my bike which i haven't been riding for
the past three days because it got a flat then when i patched it i ripped a
hole in trying to get it back onto my stupid wheel. That was frusrating. So
we walk now... it sucks but hey if i keep doing the work i have been called
to do i know i'll be blessed. So funny thing... I like the polynesian
culture. I like the people the food the music everything. Thats why i wanted
to go to an island so bad. But i got called to Sac town california and i had
heard there were a few and then i came down to stockten aka ghettoville and
i thought there probably aren't too many here but my comp is a poly so thats
pretty cool. On my first day we met a couple of the families in our ward and
a few were Tongan and they invited us to a stake luau and it was awesome!
Then i go to church on sunday and half the ward is polynesian and its cool.
Then this last weekend we got invited over for dinner by some Tongans and it
was a huge luau graduation party for one of the members and it was soo cool.
So the two weeks I've been out i have already been to two luaus and its
great. Better yet there is a whole Tongan area up in the northern part of
the mission. I want to get called there cuz i know it will be great but the
downside is my companion served there and gained thirty pounds. So... we'll
see. My companion really is awesome. I've learned soo much from him already
and have soo much i can still learn from him. We are taught a couple more
people this week and its amazing how much the spirit takes over in your
lessens. We have a guy that is amazing. He has great faith in God and lives
all the commandments and stuff but... he doesn't believe that Christ is the
Redeemer. He actually doesn't believe the new testimant. He can't understand
why, if someone was the Son of God, someone would take away from Him and
have people praise him. He wants us to show proof of Christ in the old
testiment, which i've done, and then he will let us teach more. We gave him
a book of Mormon and asked him to start reading it and praying to know if it
is true so we have faith that the spirit will touch his heart and he will
feel and know that what it says and what we teach is true. I love this
Gospel. I was looking at our Family picture and I noticed how genuinely
happy everyone looks in it and was thinking why is everyone soo happy. I had
just had my farewell and i was leaving in two days then it hit me. How could
a family not be sooo happy when they have the knowledge that they will be
together forever? Tell me if I'm wrong but i don;t think I am. It brings soo
much peace and happiness knowing that if we all do our best in this life and
then let the atonement make up the difference we will all be able to live
with God and with our families again. I know that to be true. The best thing
I've recognized out here is that I honestly see the answers to my prayers
daily. I can actually feel when the spirit is testifying. I can see God's
hand blessing me everyday. I know that if you pray God will answer your
prayer and if it is his will he will provide you with what you need and ask
for. I see it everyday. I hope everyone at home is doing good. Mom you asked
what the best way is to contact me. Letters are always a good choice cuz it
just is. Email from family, if they are short, are awesome. No hour long
emails. Technically I can email anyone i want to but i'm restricting it to
family and close guy friends. The rule is to keep your eye single to the
glory of God, so as a result i don't think it would be good to email girls
cuz thats not what a mission is about. But i love letters so write em. Guy
friends know if they are close enough to email me. So family I'll accept
both. Oh and write them to the mission home because if you send them
directly to me then I would have to worry about letting you know in time
whether I'm getting trasnfered or not and then it could be a huge mess. So
the mission home it is. Mom my address, so you can see where i live is 2414
Venitian drive 95207. I hope the spelling is correct. Its soo much fun out
here and mission life is great. Everyone be good and great. We are all
Children of God so act according to that knowledge. Bye
Love Elder Tyler Pete Arnett
June 7th 2010
So basically I have about ten min left to email. Thats what you get from bad
planning I guess. So
this first week out in the field was awesome! I would be lying if I said it
wasn't hard because of course it is but the Lord blesses his servents sooo
much and the work is so joyeous that its worth the hard work. My trainer is
named Elder Faka'i (FAH-Kah- ee) He is Tongan but lives in austraila! Its
awesome having a poly companion. We sing a lot and we get along great! He
reminds me of hudson and kinda looks like a tired 280 lb version of him. So
the first week we taught a couple of lessons. We taught a lady named Gloria
who is twenty five and has three kids but isn't married. She is really
funny. She acts like she doesn't care about the stuff we are telling her but
when we say something she keeps asking more and more questions. We gave her
a book of mormon and committed her to start reading it then also read from 3
nephi 11. It was awesome. Oh yeah I'm serving in Stockten in the lincoln
ward. It is GHETTO here and i love it! The ward is tiny but the members are
great. I can see already how much fun this is going to be. Yesterday while
doing a blitz in my area we found a lady named Kathy. At first she didn't
want to hear what we had to say but she told us her husband died a few years
before and so we taught a little about the plan of salvation and made a
return appointment. It was awesome. We gave her a book of mormon and she
read a lttle standing right there and then we had her read a little about
the plan of salvation and we would check up on her later. Its amazing how
the Promise the Lord gives in DandC is true. All the things I have studied
really are brought to my knowledge in the moment i need them. All i have to
do is open my mouth and the spirit takes over and says what they need to
hear. Its awesome! I love this work sooo much. I know this church is true. I
know the book of mormon is true. I also know that Joseph Smith did see God
and Christ. I know President Monson is a true living prophet and that he
holds all the keys of the priesthood and that he leads the church in the
same way that Christ would if he himself were here on the earth. I know
these things are true because I know Heavenly Father answers all of prayers.
If you ask he will let you know in your heart and in your mind and with a
feeling of peace and comfort that the things you ask are true. I have
experienced it many times already in the last month. Don't get too cozy at
home. This past month FLEW by and out here in the field it goes by even
faster. I'll be home before you know it. So i have more time than i thought
so I'll keep writing until my comp tells me to stop. The mission really is
so much fun. My bike rocks. Its fun going around talking to random people on
the streets. I know a tiny bit though what Christ went through with people
mocking him and stuff. Some people are very ignorant and they hate us. They
freak when we go their houses. They get mad at us because we are trying to
bring them to baptism, the only way we can receive salvation. It really
hurts inside my heart when someone rejects us because they aren't partaking
of the fruit that I have partaken. Oh family and everyone reading this! Tell
everyone you know about the gospel. Anyone who is a non member needs this
Gospel and you can help them have it! Tell everyone about what we believe.
It makes it so much easier for the missionaries when the investigator has a
friend helping them along. Also feed the missionaries! In some places i'm
sure its not a problem but here we don't get fed every night and it sucks.
So everyone sign up! Also talk to them when you see them. its nice to talk
to someone who has the light of Christ shining in their eyes right back at
you. I love you all.
Love,
Elder Tyler Pete Arnett
So i decided to take my extra time and write ellie her own email.
Ellie!
Thanks soo much for the letter. I'm sorry that there is so much food left
over after sunday dinners. Trust me i wish I could eat it. I'm so excited
for you to have summer and then be in third grade! Good Job. I love you a
lot and help mom and dad around the house. They need help keeping things
clean. Also make mom and dad feed the missionaries. I love you. Hope you are
doing ok. Bye!
