Week 18

Hey! I forgot to tell you I'm in a ward and it is so much bigger than the branch I was in. There's like 300 people I think - sooooo much bigger. But its great, we get fed a ton more here. We had a dinner appointment every day this week except for Wednesday. It was great! I still don't cook. Cereal, peanut butter, bread,and pizza rolls is basically what I eat, but hey its great because now we get fed. We also had a dinner appointment yesterday and that was really good. We have had a good variety of food, but a lot of chicken - just about every dinner apointment has chicken. Sounds like Sunday was great! Tell both of them good luck for me. Sounds like the Lewis's should be having a good time on their cruise. This week was amazing! So we set a baptismal date with Spencer and teaching him is so much fun! One of the spanish elders had a good idea for teaching the restoration to Spencer. You use the game Janga. So I bought Janga and used it in the lesson and it was great, it helped a ton and it was a lot of fun! Then later in the week we found this less active that has an 11 year old grandoughter. So we are trying to reactivate her and we actually set a baptizmal date with Brooklin the 11 year old. It was great, we used janga for that lesson as well. Probably my favorite way to teach the restoration. We also tracked into another less active. Its so crazy how many less actives we tract into. Thats the second here and we had two in Bardstown. Anyway she got offended by some members about a lot of different things, so we apologized for what happened, but tried to help her come back to church. She doesn't understand tithing and we tried to explain the blessing but she didn't really listen. It was a great week anyway. It seemed way long but it was great. Yesterday was so amazing! We called a bunch of former investigators and one called back and told us we could come by! The wife is a less active and the husband is not a member and neither is the daughter. So we went over and talked with them - it was great. We are going back on Saturday and they are going to feed us, so that will be great! And another former called us and I don't know why she isn't baptized. She's met with missionaries for like 8 years and she sounds like a member, but she's not baptized so we are going to try to teach her as well as get her to church. Also we are working with Doug. He just married a member who is actually a RM. They're  like in their 40s. He is great. He has come to church twice and we are teaching him tonight after pday - so excited for him. Well, I think that's just about it. Hope you have a great summer. Enjoy the weather. The weather here has been amazing! Not too hot, but really nice all week. Well, have a great week! I love you so much!

                                                                       Love,  TJ

Nice look you two.  Chazz and T.J.

Week 17

Hey Mom and Dad,  how are you? GUESS WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK? WE HAD A BAPTIZIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

His name is Cody Baker and he goes to the marines in like a week. I met him on Friday and we played basketball with him on Saturday. He didn't know me or Elder Hawes very well because Elder Hawes has only been here for two weeks more than me. So Cody didnt know either one of us all that well, but I got to know him a little bit and he is a stud. He doesn't have a lot of home support, his family didn't want him to be baptized, but his girlfriend is a member and thats like the only support he has. He is so cool, and I had the privlige to baptize him. It was sooo amazing to be able to baptize him! It was the coolest feeling in the world! I can't even tell you how amazing it was, but it was sooo great! Then Elder Hawes confirmed him yesterday. It was so great. We also have an investigator who is 13 years old and has downs syndrome. I dont know how it works, but I think the bishop gave him the ok to be baptized. They said he is accountable so we are teaching him the lessons. His name is Spencer and he is such a stud! It was great! I love working with kids with special abilities. Helping Jack last year really helped because I knew how to work with him. We used a ton of pictures and played some games. It was great, Spencer is so great! I love working with him. We are also working with a part member family. We had dinner with them last night and he is going to take the lessons, so thats super great. This week has been so amazing! I love Georgetown. We also do service every Tuseday and Wednesday for 3 hours at a food bank. and yes, we have been eating lots of doughnuts at that doughnuts at that shop.  We ate there like 3 times this week - its great. We are also in a ward, which is so wierd now after being in a branch for so long. So yeah, its pretty great. I am loving Georgetown so much and its really fun having Chazz in my district too.  We get along a lot better out here than we did at home,  so thats really cool. That's crazy that Gavin and Porter leave already. I can't believe its June!  What the crap, its going by way too fast! It has already been 4 months! I can't believe it. It's so crazy, it feels like I just left and now I'm already in my second area - it's nuts.  I love the 4 elder apartment. its great. Thats cool to here about Judd's homecoming. Well I think that's it. Hope you have a great week  - the last week of school. That should be fun. Oh and can you have Bailee see if she can get Alissa Kenington's address for me? That would be great. Thanks,

Love, TJ 

Week 16

Hey, how is everyone doing? It was great to talk to you yesterday.  After I talked to you we visited some members, said goodbye, then packed up my stuff and left. I got to my new apartment at like 10:30 because we started going the wrong way so it took a lot longer. So yeah I'm in a four elder apartment and its great! My companion's name is Elder Hawes. He is from Boise, Idaho and he's way cool. He has been out 9 months, but he has only been in the area for about 12 days, so he doesn't know the area super well and the bike elders are white washing.  Chazz is in my district, so that's way cool. He's actually coming over to Gtown to play basketball with us so that will be fun. I will be in a car, but will probably end up biking a lot this month because they're short on miles.  We have 3 baptismal dates, so that's super awesome.  This morning we woke up and played basketball, and then there's a member who owns a donut place, so we get free donuts! We went there today and it was soooo good! I'm gonna love that place. Well, thats all I can think of so have a great week! Hope school goes all right for ya. Love you so much - have a great week!  Love TJ 

T.J.'s new comp. Elder Hawes

Week 15

Sister Baldwin (Lauren) and T.J. at the mission home

T.J. and his new companion Elder Cox

So this week was great. At transfers I got to see Chazz and Lauren. Chazz is now with my MTC companion and Lauren is opening a new area somewhere. Not sure where that is, but it was fun to see them. My new companion's name is Elder Cox. He is from Montana and he's been out for like a year and a half.  We are still working hard and its different being with Elder Cox, but its really good.

So Kitty and Dakota are doin good. Neither of them came to church but they had legit excuses so that's ok, but we did get Josh Thompson to come and that's super awsom. It was stake conference and it was broadcast at the church so it was different and really long but I think he liked it, hopefully anyway.

   Yes, I did hear a bit about the derby. An investigator we are working with was watching it when we went over there. But yeah its been raining like all week. On Friday we walked around in the rain for like two hours and got completely soaked - it was great. hahaha!! Anyway that's crazy to think you are done coaching dad. That's crazy, sounds like it was a fun year though so that's good. That's awsome to hear that Rylee Rockhill is going on a misson!  Tell Jay good luck for me. 

   So I don't know exactly what's going to happen on Sunday but fear not because I will just give you a call I I think on Saturday to let you know for sure. That's what Elder Cox says he usually does and it is approved by president. It will just be a quick minute or 30 seconds or I will leave a voice mail. Sorry its not really organized yet, things are still kinda crazy with a new companion. I will let you know a bit later this week.  Well hope all is well. Have a great week and I will talk to you next week. yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

Week 14

Hey Everyone! I am staying in Bardstown and my new comp will be the new DL. That's all I really know as of now. We will go to transfers tomorrow at 10 then I will get my new comp, then we will buy food and then get back to work. We all go to a stake center in Louisville and have the transfer meeting. I haven't got any letters yet because we are going to transfers so they hold the mail for five days or so before because we will just pick them up at the mission office. I am really excited for mothers day as well. I should have info for you next week when me and my new comp make plans for it. I can't believe I have already been in the field for 12 weeks and have been gone for 3 months. It has gone by pretty fast for the most part. Some days feel like forever, but it has been really good. So the less active didn't come, she canceled last minute and we don't really know why, but we are trying to get back in contact with them. We went to the Shcmids anyway to go to family night and we gave the FHE lesson. It was fun! We had hot dogs and played soccer - it was really fun. I haven't seen Lauren yet because Corbin is not in my zone and I have no clue where Corbin even is, but I might see her at transfers. I might see Chazz as well, you never know. The patio looks really good, ya'll did a good job with it.  The Civil War Museum - the red suit was like an officer for the Confederacy I think. I'm not really sure, but it was cool, and we went inside the houses. They had some stuff in there, but nothing too exciting. The outside of them were a lot cooler. So it seems like most of the people who have a baptismal date decided to disappear and not talk to us. Other than Helena, everyone else is avoiding us and we might have to drop them if we can't get in contact with them. But hopefully not. But on the plus side, we have two new investigators who are super solid and we set a baptismal date with one of them. Her name is Kitty. She is in her 40s and she is Baptist, but she loved the restoration and committed to read the Book of Mormon. Her date is for the 22nd of June and the other one is a 16 year old boy named Dakota. He is super cool. We taught him the restoration and parts of the plan of salvation, but it's going to be a long road for him because he struggles with the word of wisdom. That basically includes the whole word of wisdom. So that's a problem, but he likes meeting with us so things are going well. WE FINALLY GOT SOMEONE TO CHURCH! I'm so excited! One of them is a less active kid who is 10 and not baptized, and the other is a brother of a recent convert. So that is really great. So Friday we had like a mini MTC where the youth in the Louisville stake came and we each got two youth to work with. We went to classes with them that missionaries taught, then we stayed the night with the missionaries in E town. There were 8 in the apartment, and like 30 all together. The youth stayed at members homes. There were like 60 of them. It was really cool. Saturday we woke up and went to the members home where the youth were staying and studied and ate breakfast with them. Then we went out to a couple of teaching  appointments. It was so much fun. The two kids I worked with were 15 and were so awesome! It was really fun. Then we had a super powerfull testimony meeting. Then we went back to bardstown and had a going away party for Elder Tolman at the Schmids. It was really fun. It was such a great week! Well, I love you.  Hope you have a great week.

Week 13

Hey, how is everybody?  The civil war museum was really cool. I took a lot of pics. I will send you a couple of them but it was cool. It had some really cool stuff and there was like a little old town that we could go through. It was cool, I think yall would like it. Yeah this is Elder Tolman's last week. Transfers are on Tuesday. He's doing a really good job about not being truncky.  Its really hard not to make him trunky though so we are teaching a lot of people. But no one will come to church. Mary Shelby is a less active and she has a 10 year old son who has a date for June 1st. They were supposed to come but texted us like 5 minutes before sacrament started and told us she wouldn't be there. But she is coming with us to a combined famly night at a member's house. Her and her 3 kids, Tyler 10, Kyle 5, and Amber is like 6 months or something, so that should be really fun. That's really cool about that lady. Just keep working with her. Maybe if you referred her to the missionaries and told them to do a normal tracking a porch, maybe they could get in. We have done that with a referral and they let us in. They still were not interested, but at least we still got in. I don't know, just a suggestion I guess. But that's super cool. 

    So last week the temperature was in the 80s. It should get a lot hotter and I hate the humidity with a burning passion!  It is not my friend, especially when its 80s and humid and you go outside for like 10 minutes and you are super sweaty. I like it being warm, but the humidity is not my friend.  So this is my last p day with Elder Tolman because on the Monday before you leave you are supposed to proselite, but I should still be able to at least send a quick email to yall in the morning. Well, I'm starting to get to know the members a lot better. Last Monday we went to the Fullkersons and had dinner and had family night with them. We played corn hole, it was so much fun! Well, I hope yall have a great week. I love you so much!

T.J. and Elder Tolmen in there new Louisville NCAA Camp shirts

They went to a Civil War Museum

Week 12

Hey guys how are you?  Yeah I can email friends, so if anyone wants they can email me. But that's only if we have time so I might have to hand write them. But I have only received mail from Jeff and a girl I met at the MTC and you. No one else has really written me but that's ok. If they want to Email that's ok. We get the Ensign so you don't have to send that to me. I am so excited for p day today! We went to a members home between conference sessions on Sunday and they gave us free tickets to the Civil War Museum so that's what we are doing today and I'm super excited for that. I bought a confederate blanket and flag last p day. I will send you pics of them they are really cool. So Elder Tolman goes home at the first of May so I will be getting a new comp next transfer - so in like 2 weeks. I'm getting nervous.  I really like Elder Tolman and am not looking forward to him leaving. But that's ok, I will deal with it. So mom, I heard you are making Forrest trunky!  That's kind of funny. It's really hard not to. I try super hard not to make Elder Tolman trunky because he only has 2 weeks left in his mission - its so crazy. Well, the work is going good. We have 3 more people with a baptism date. Amanda and Chris Metcalf - their date is May 25th. Tyler Shelby is 10 years old and his mom is less active - his is for June 1st. Well, same story as last week, we had 5 people commit and no one came to church. They want the blessings, but don't want to do anything about it. We have a new investigator who is very emotionally unstable. Her life is kind of a mess and we are trying to help her, but she doesn't want to help herself. We are working with a couple of those. We got fed 3 times this week. I haven't had to eat anything crazy. We did have instant potatoes that I didn't like, but that's the worst thing I have had and they weren't even that bad. I still eat cereal, toast, poptarts, and I can make mac and cheese. Its pretty impressive - I think so anyway. The weather was sooooooo nice! It got up to like 80 and humid. The humidity slapped me in the face! It was kind of rough, but super nice. My allergies are getting worse. I need to get something for my eyes as well. Well that's my week. Hope y'all had a good one!