October 31st, 2011

So since its Halloween we aren't allowed to go out proselyting tonight because of the danger in it and people would be mad, even though almost everyone would answer their door. But we have to be ready for the activity in an hour and we still need to shower and what not. For the activity President Lewis has given each zone permission to show 17 Miracles one time and one time only for the whole zone tonight. We are all super super excited. This week was kind of lame. I ended up getting sick with bad allergies and a cold on Thursday and then Friday we had Zone Conference. Elder Yamashita from the first quorum of the Seventy was here and did an awesome training. Him and his wife didn't speak English very well but they did just fine and the spirit was super strong. We learned a lot. But I was talking to the health coordinator, the new one that is, and she was concerned so she made me go to the doctor in the middle of it which was lame. Good thing I went cuz I had pneumonia again! Just kidding I didn't. But I did have an ear infection so they gave me some amoxicillin which gives me diarrhea. So I have been getting better slowly. A cool thing that happened was when President Lewis found out I was sick he really wanted to give me a blessing so during lunch he took me aside and I assumed he would do it with my companion but that was not so. When I walked in the room Elder Yamashita was there and so President Lewis anointed me and Elder Yamashita gave me an awesome blessing. So I got an awesome blessing from a Seventy! So that was basically my week. I did get Jamie's letter this week. Hopefully it’s not the last from the rest of the family responding to my heart ache. I had a dream Jeff wrote me a letter ha. I have been having some crazy dreams lately. The work is going great. We are still trying to find some new investigators cuz we are baptizing ours. Michael and Mercy Slover will be getting baptized this Saturday at 1 p.m. We don't have to do anything in it except take the credit for the baptism. I am so excited. They are super solid. Michael actually had already converted to Hot Chocolate in the morning just like you suggested mom. So that was cool. Oh yeah I forgot to ask, WHAT THE FREAK. WHY DOES PORTER WANT TO BE A FAIRY FAGGIT!?!?!?! That’s ridiculous. I was never that gay. I might have worn pink tights and danced and stuff but I was never a FAIRY! Mom how can you allow this?! Oh well, as long as you send me pictures so I can see how gay it is. I love you all. I hope everything is going good. Love you.

Love, Elder Tyler Pete Arnett

October 24^th 2011

Well that sounded like an exciting week. That was a nice long email. I love being informed. So this was a week! So my new companion is Elder Jones from North Carolina. He is awesome. He came out a transfer after me and became a zone leader at the same time. We both have very similar working and teaching styles and we get along very very well. We both love to tell stories and that is usually what takes up most of our free time. It’s nice because I love telling stories to my companions but sometimes they don't appreciate them and they kind of don't listen but with Elder Jones being a story teller as well he appreciates it and he listens and gives me feedback. We don't just tell random made up stories. Just in case you were wondering... Everything has happened for reals. Even if Paul Dunn creeps in a few times, it’s real to us. So with Elder Jones and I both being new zone leaders it has been a learning experience for both us. But it’s been fun and I have grown so much as a leader this past week. I feel lazy at times because I am not busting my butt all day long beating on doors. Elder Manu's style was knock now think later. We have taken a lot more time thinking and it sure has paid off! I'll tell of two total miracles that happened this week. So I was a little nervous for this transfer to start. Everything Manu and I had going on was finished or over so I felt like we were starting with very little this transfer. So Tuesday night we had a zone dinner with the 2nd councilor in the Stake Presidency. It was at the church and went just swell. We have a great zone. I had left our phone in the car on accident so when we were finished we went to leave and we had a missed call and a new voice mail, so naturally we listened to it. It was a member of the ward that meets in the same building as us and he was relating to us that a man had come to the church with his son wanting to know when service started and if he could have some info about the church and its belief. His name is Leroy and me and Elder Manukailea had knocked on his door like 2 months ago. So we called him from the number the member gave us and he answered and wanted us to come over right then. It was only 7:30 so we took the member from the other ward with us and went and taught him the Restoration. It was great and he is so smart and spiritual. So we taught him on Tuesday and on Wednesday and again on Friday and him and his 7 year old son came to church on Sunday. So that was a total miracle. He's not married to his baby’s momma that he has been with for some time and he has some word of wisdom issues but has expressed the desire to change in both areas and I have seen it done. So that’s one. The next one is great as well. So a few months ago some members said that they were going to be renting out a room to some nonmembers and that we should teach them. Well last week they came to church because they have finally got settled in. So we talked to them a little bit. Elder Manu thought they were a waste of time but the guy wanted a large print Book of Mormon which the mission has to order in when someone needs one and it takes a min. but we had gotten one for somebody but we aren't teaching them anymore so we just took it on over to him on Thursday and taught him and his wife along with their 6 year old son. So we taught an amazing, spiritual restoration lesson and at the end invited both of them to be baptized. We thought for sure they would say yes but they shot us down so fast it was sad. He loves coffee and she just wasn't sure. But both Elder Jones and I felt like they were both going to be baptized and they didn't even know it. So we had dinner with the member they live with on Saturday and we had some delicious tri-tip. I will learn how to cut the cow myself to introduce it to Arizona. It was sooo tasty along with the garlic potatoes with some good vegetables. So we had dinner and then we had another lesson with Michael and Mercy Slover. That’s there name by the way. So this time we taught the Plan of Salvation and decided to focus a lot on Mercy's children that got taken away from her a while ago as well as the atonement of Christ that explains his ability to have empathy for anything we go through. So it went very very well and it was a great lesson with a very strong spirit. We invited both of them to be baptized again with the same result. But this time Mercy started revealing all her concerns. They were pretty lame, like she knew someone that got baptized and they just take all the churches money and she doesn't think that should be allowed. I don't think that’s even a concern ha. So we resolved them but they still said no, so we extended a commitment to pray about it and to come to church with a question. So they came to church and they looked like they were having a good time. So afterwards we were super super busy and had a lot of things going on. They wanted to talk to us and so we made some time and stood in the hallway and Michael says Mercy why don't you tell them. So she told us that they both wanted to be baptized as soon as possible and asked how long it would take. They had already been to church twice so next week it will be their third week and they will get baptized on Nov. 5th. So the nervousness has gone away a little bit. I am still a bit nervous for the whole zone baptizing but I’m trying to be more obedient so I can qualify for God's blessings. So I know he will help me. So this is a bit of sad news. Manat Soutsevang, the quadriplegic that I helped baptize passed away last Monday the 17th at 12:03 pm. It was super sad. We went and sang for her family on Monday night with the Tongan elders. We went to the viewing on Saturday and her funeral was on Sunday during the Tongan elder church so I took elder seumanutafa with me to it and it was weird and Buddhist. But it felt good to recognize her and give her respect. So that was super sad. Her soul was saved just in time. She had Lou Gheriks disease and was close to passing away a few times. We know she stayed alive just long enough to be saved in God's Kingdom. She is now resting in paradise. So the work is still true. Everything is going great. Oh our apartment sucks right now! The power doesn't work in half the apartment which half consists of the power going to our fridge, microwave, hot water heater, and both bathrooms. So that has been lame. We actually had to put our fridge on our balcony cuz it was leaking then we got an extension chord and plugged it in in another room so it works. But we have had to take cold showers every morning. We took showers at the church today in the baptismal changing rooms. So it was our first warm showers for a bit. We told the apartment office on Saturday but they said it probably won't get taken care of till tomorrow. We told them like 2 weeks ago but they didn't do anything about it. So if it doesn't get taken care of soon I might not be a happy person towards them anymore. So I hope this email was good. I love you.

Love, Elder Tyler Pete Arnett

The North Sacremento Zone!

Temple Night Shot

Angel Moroni

Me in front of the Temple.

Us at Georgina's Baptism.

Me with the Reidheads.

October 17^th 2011

Well we just got done playing football with another zone. We played for over an hour and lost so I am not only extremely tired but angry. The other zone pissed me off so bad. Oh well we'll just keep our 80 baptisms for the year so far compared to their 50... So I don't know how much I am going to email. Sorry I forgot to tell you that this transfer is a day early so we have a normal p-day. The new missionaries are coming in a day early from the mtc so that is why they did this. It’s only a one-time thing. So this week was exciting going to lunch with the Reidheads. We were on exchanges so Elder Manukailea didn't get to come. I was surprised how well it all worked out. I texted Brother Reidhead on Wednesday night and we just set up to meet at the church at 11:30 the next day. So we met up and talked for a bit then headed off to Golden Corral. I took them on the scenic route that went through the Old Air Force base. We had a great time eating and talking about things. I thought it would make me super trunky but it didn't. I have been pretty trunky because Elder Manu is going home and it gets me thinking about it but meeting with the Reidheads helped me feel like nothing has really changed too much back at home and that things will go on just the same when I get home. So I’ll just keep doing the work and baptizing. This week Georgina finally got baptized! But she didn't come on Sunday for her confirmation... We'll get her this week for sure. We went on two exchanges this week. I was with Elder Taufu'i on Tuesday. He came to my area and we did some good work. Thursday I was with Elder Morgan. We had a lot of fun. So we got our transfer calls last night. Of course as you all know Elder Manukailea goes home so he is leaving. I am being made the senior Zone Leader and my new companion is Elder Jones. He is from North Carolina. He came out a transfer after me and was made a zone leader the same time as me. He is a really cool kid and an amazing missionary so I am excited to learn from him and serve with him. The stake is super bummed that Manu is leaving. He has been here for 6 months and has worked wonders in the zone. I hope Elder Jones and I can continue that work down here. I'm sure if we work as hard as me and Elder Manukailea have been and are obedient we will see the same success. The stake is so close to hitting their goal of 100 baptisms for the year so we are all working hard to achieve that. The mission goal this month was 80 baptisms. We have 51 baptized so far with 44 more people with a date to be baptized in the next two weeks of the month so we are super close to hitting that goal. If we hit that and repeat it in November and get our goal of 101 we will reach the mission goal of 800 for the year. We are all working our hardest right now to achieve these goals. The field is very white and ready to harvest. Even in Elder Schmid's area where the people aren't white! Man they are baptizing so much. Oh and on the white note. President Lewis has taken note that a lot of the missionaries in the missions white shirts aren't so white anymore. That is very true for myself. He asked us to ask for new white shirts for Christmas so that’s what I’m doing. I think 2 of each, long and short sleeve should be fine. I still have a fat size 19 neck. I wish it was smaller and it might be late but I would rather be safe than sorry. I'll let you know if I start losing any weight. Oh and I didn't do that diet. I quit the same night of the day I started. I received revelation that I shouldn't do it. It took almost falling asleep while standing up to be revelation. I like my picture on my camera of me with the Reidheads. I'll send it home. As well as my memory card cuz it’s full, or will be soon. I hope everyone is having a lot of fun. Love you.

Love, Elder Tyler Pete Arnett

Georgina flaked on her baptism two weeks in a row. So we took a picture together to remember how pissed we were.

the group at coloma, the place where Gold was found.

Me beating President Lewis at horse shoes. I'm not as good at it as i am at Corn Hole.

we went out a little too far...

Glen Taylor (76 years old!) The stake President sons Ben Treadway baptized him. He's going to Italy Milan mission in January.

Me and Marcie Maxie she got baptized like two months ago.

the group of us who baptized Manat. Elder Seumanutafa, Me, Elder Taufu'i

All of us at the Tonga families house for dinner. They call me their son because i eat as much as their tongan sons. (Their last name is Tonga)

Lunch with Paul & Chantel Reidhead from my home ward in Arizona - October 13th 2011

October 10^th 2011

Well since Mom isn't here to read this one, I guess I’ll write it to the boys and Dad and I assume Ellie didn't get to go either so she can be among the first to read this one. It’s going to be a good one I hope. I have a pretty sweet story to tell today about some events that have happened in the previous weeks ending last night. It really has defined my purpose as a missionary and it was an amazing experience I will never forget. So a couple of months ago the missionaries in the Tongan ward were tracting and they ran into a Samoan guy with a Lao girlfriend. Well the Lao girl was the interested one so they tried to give her to the missionaries who speak Lao (even though she speaks perfect English or I guess I should say understands it) You see Manat (the Lao girl) is paralyzed from the neck down. She can't move anything but her head side to side. She can't even nod or anything. She has a lot of trouble speaking and you have to read her lips to understand what she is trying to say. Well the Lao missionaries didn't want to teach her. The Lao program here is dwindling to the point where they have 3 active members and a load of in active people who haven’t been to church in 20 years. So their main goal is to grow the group so the program doesn't get shut down. So when they found out about Manat they said no because she wouldn't be able to come to church ever so it would be a burden to their program. So Elder Taufu'i and Elder Seumanutafa started teaching her (the elders of the Tongan ward). She really desired baptism so they began working with her more and more and then they found out she would never be able to come to church. So they contacted me and Elder Manukailea, being their zone leaders, to find out what they should do. We didn't know so we talked to President Lewis and he asked if she was accountable and we said yes she definitely is all there, she is just a quadriplegic so she can never come to church. Well he said that anyone that is accountable, or alright in the head, has to have baptism or they can never go to heaven. So we continued on in the process of teaching her. The Lao missionaries found out she was getting baptized so they got all defensive but then they remembered she wouldn't be able to come to church so they again declined teaching her. Here is where it all comes together. So I had been to lessons with Elder Taufu'i and he has some spiritual connection with her because he can hear her talking even when I can't see her lips moving. She will be sitting there and he will start asking what and I would get all confused because I don't see her doing anything and he would be like oh she said she needs help because her head has fallen back too far and she can't breathe. It’s amazing. I've seen it time and time again in the lessons with them. So we went on and she had a date to be baptized. The date was supposed to be this Saturday but her family didn't know about it and they wanted to come so they did. This is where it all gets crazy. So the Tongan ward did the baptism program and first off it was amazingly spiritual to begin with. I don't know how many people have been to Polynesian functions but before the meeting begins they all just sit there and sing acapella hymns until its ready to start. So they were singing their hymns, singing my favorite in the process, How Great Thou Art, in Tongan and it was amazing. All the Lao people were already crying and following along in the hymn books reading the lyrics. So another thing. Elder Taufu'i's aunt married a Lao guy. Manat married that guy’s brother so they are randomly connected in that way. So we had the baptism. Her being paralyzed she needed a lot of help in the font so they asked me to help baptize her. I was with Elder Taufu'i who was holding her body and Elder Seumanutafa (who is Samoan) who held her head and said the baptismal prayer and I held her body and plugged her nose and mouth and helped push her whole body down so we only had to do it once. She was so scared but so courageous. After we all got changed we all confirmed her and she was saved after that point. It doesn't matter if she ever comes to church or anything. She has been baptized and received the Holy Ghost and is saved in the Kingdom of God. That’s what our purpose is. Saving Souls. Not growing a ward or group or keeping alive a dying program. Even better the guy conducting the baptism knew Manat, him being Tongan, but they lived by each other six years ago and he would pick her kids up from school. He said she was normal then and now she is totally different. But it was an amazing experience. Oh and for a musical number Elder Taufu'is aunt and cousin sang a song that was amazing and they both cried through the whole thing. I don't think there was a dry eye in the room. It was hands down the best experience and most spiritual baptism of my mission. Manat Soutsevang is saved. Other than that the rest of the week was kind of lame. We went on a few exchanges, one with the hmong elders who we live with and the APs. It was good and fun. Elder Manukailea goes home next week. This is his last week. It’s kind of hard being with him cuz it makes me think a lot about what it’s going to be like going home but that’s not for a long long time more. So I just work hard and forget about myself. So yeah. That was the cool thing this week. I hope it made sense and you enjoy it.

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Love, Elder Tyler Pete Arnett

October 3^rd 2011

So before I start. Mom I have done initiatory since I have done them for myself. I don't know if you remember or even ever knew but me and a friend would go to the temple once or twice a week in the morning every week until I left on my mission and once we did initiatory because we were late to our session. And just a month ago Elder Manukailea and I went to the temple and were again late to our session and decided to do initiatory there so I have done it a couple of times and I agree it really is neat. Sounds like your week was great mom. It’s nice to have one faithful writer to me each week. I think the family should write me more... I mean I do send a general email home every week so they can all read it. I am just curious about everyone’s life. All I get is moms. So Tuesday I went with Elder Taufu'i from slc Utah. He is half Tongan half Samoan. We had a really good day. He serves in the Tongan ward so we saw a lot of Polynesians. We taught probably the prettiest Tongan I’ve seen in my life. They are working with her to get baptized. The day was kind of boring. We had leadership but Elder Manu went and taught a lesson so it was just me with our two district leaders. After we went to lunch and it was swell. Wednesday we had another good day. We had a really good district meeting and then we taught a few people through the day. We went on exchanges with Elder Buttars and Elder Correia because Elder Buttars back is hurt. I went with Elder Correia who is originally from Hawai'i but has lived in Utah for a while. We tracted forever and then had dinner and while we were in dinner Elder Manu called and told me to come out because we had an appointment. I was a little bummed because we were planning on skipping dinner that night and that way I would get it but i didn't... We had a few more appointments then we had a meeting with our new Ward Mission Leader Brother Lopez who is Philipino. He is great and is willing to do everything we ask him to. He said if we wanted to mold our ward mission leader, now would be the time because he has no idea what to do and is going to do anything we ask him to. It was great. Then we switched up for exchanges with Elder Seigfried and Elder Heaton. I was a little bummed because I had to stay in my area with Elder Seigfried. Elder Heaton is one of the coolest kids in the world. But we made the best out of the next day and we taught some good lessons that day. Friday we had Zone Leader Rountable, where all the Zone Leaders meet together with President and Sister Lewis and we sit in a big circle(to make it round) and discuss matters in the mission. The last one was kind of lame because 7 of the 26 zone leaders were going home so they didn't participate much but only 2 this time are and Elder Manu is one of them and he is more focused than ever. Also most stressful, to my demise but its good. We had a lot of appointments on Friday and we taught all of them! Saturday was a mighty fine day as well as the day hell broke loose. Glen and Georgina were scheduled to be baptized. When we went to get Georgina up and ready for her ride she had disappeared and we didn't get in contact with her till 9 that night even though we went over there numerous amounts of times. She didn't have white underwear...! She has hurdled all the opposition that’s come her way so far, even someone being beat half to death in her home and she freaks on not having underwear. We would have bought it for her! But she will get baptized if not tomorrow, Saturday. Glen got baptized though and it was one of the greatest things I’ve experienced ever. It was my 23 baptism and probably the first time I got semi emotional while they were getting baptized. It was such a huge miracle. General Conference probably added to the spirit of it as well. Glen was baptized in between the morning and afternoon sessions. He added all sessions but Sunday evening because his blood sugar was up to 450 and i guess over 400 you should be in the hospital. We just hope he lives till next Sunday so we can confirm him and save his soul. That conference sure was good though. I learned so much and received so much revelation for how to become a better disciple of Christ. I hope Elder Holland got through to the boys well enough to make them 100% sure about serving a mission and being worthy to do so. I worry sometimes about them, not that I think they are bad, but that there is so much temptation in this world and we really do have to be alone sometimes in standing for what’s right.

So today is my first day on the Master Cleanse! Its sounds ridiculous and probably is but I am doing it. I don't eat anything for 10 days. All I drink is a special mixture of Cayenne pepper, lemon juice, Maple Syrup and water, as well as a smooth move herbal tea laxative at night as well as the Salt Water Flush in the morning to make me poop out all the toxins in my body. So when we eat fast food we take in a lot of fat, but along with it is all the preservatives that the company has to put in to make it legal to sell year old meat. Well those preservatives are what makes it super had to burn off the fat. So the Cayenne pepper goes into your fat cells and takes the Preservatives out. Now it’s all just chilling there so the lemon Juice, Squeezed from real lemons, absorbs that up and the water makes you pee it out. Now you can't live off of no calories so the maple syrup gives you all the needed calories for the day. But its pure maple syrup. Not the artificial kind. So that is what I am doing for the next ten days. They say you lose 2-5 lbs. a day but you gain half of it back after you start eating again. What I want from it is to, one jump start my weight loss( I will weigh less than dad even if it’s the last thing I do), Two shrink my stomach ( the inside one) cuz I can eat way too much and have to be full, and three save a lot of money on not buying food. After the preservatives are "cleansed" out you can burn fat a lot easier and so that’s it. You might think I am retarded for doing it but hey I’ve got to do something and nothing has worked too well yet. So yeah. Thanks for your love and support.

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Love, Elder Tyler Pete Arnett