First Baptisms!

Right after Sawyer passed his year mark, he had his first baptisms. They taught and baptized 3 teenagers, Xavier, Janelle, and Benji. Here's what he said about the experience:

The baptisms were such a great experience! I had the privilege of baptizing Janelle and confirming the two boys the next day in sacrament meeting. It was such a spiritual experience! Usually when I give blessings, I get super tired afterward and my mind just goes blank during them. But during the confirmations I just wasn't even thinking and words were coming out of my mouth. It was so cool! We went and saw the kids last night and I can already see a difference in them now that they have the Holy Ghost! Now we just need to keep working with them and make sure that their roots are firm!

Xavier, Janelle, and Benji 

Elder Varvel and Elder Palmer look so happy!

Since this, the kids have gone to a youth conference, and the boys have received the Priesthood.

A Texas Size Storm!

Sawyer experienced another really big Texas storm. His story is kind of funny!

On Tuesday we were just out walking and it was kind of a cloudy day. It was nice to have some shade for once. We went into the library to see what the news was on our family history class, and it just started randomly raining outside. Then it started pouring! And then it started waterfalling! I have never seen so much rain in my life! But that isn't the good part. The good part is that we had to get back to the trailer, and we parked the car on the other side of town. So we decided to go out and book it back to the car when it looked like it was mellowing out. Well....it got way worse when we were out there, and we were completely drenched in like 10 seconds!And then the marble size hail started falling and nailing us in the head! Picture a storm even worse than the one that flooded Disney World when we were there, and then add hail the size of marbles! So you can imagine how silly we looked wading through the streets of Van Horn as fast as we could, in dress clothes, completely drenched, and getting pelted with hail! It was the craziest storm I have ever seen!

One Year! Go Bananas!

Elder Varvel reached his year mark! So exciting! I can't believe he is half way done with his mission! This is what he had to say about it:

This year has officially been the fastest year of my life! I am still scratching my head over where the time has gone, and I know it is just going to keep going faster from here!

I have been so excited to reach the half way point on this chart! Now it counts down instead of up!

A little celebration package for Elder Varvel! 

All things banana!

GET THE BLEEPEDY BLEEP OUT OF HERE!

I got an e-mail from Sawyer and cracked up at one of his stories. What happened isn't funny, but how he tells it is hilarious!

It sounds like you guys had a pretty fun week! I wish I could say the same, but me and Elder Palmer have been feeling a little down lately. It's not like we're discouraged, but lately it has just been the same thing over and over again every single day with no change in the results....EXCEPT FOR YESTERDAY! We were just dandily walking in the hot sun knocking on people's doors. We knocked on this old, dumpy looking house, and we hear some guy yell from the side of the house. So we walked over and this guy was walking toward us and started speaking to us in spanish. We started speaking back to him in spanish, and he started screaming, "GET THE BLEEPEDY BLEEP BLEEP OUT OF HERE! WE ARE BLEEPING BLEEPEDY CATHOLICS! GET THE BLEEPEDY BLEEP OFF MY BLEEPING PROPERTY!" Elder Palmer was just like, "Whoa man relax! We're going!" To which he continued his rant. I said, "We are just sharing a message about Christ." And then he cussed us out some more. I have realized that I really need to work on the Christ like attribute of charity because after that experience I was thinking about how much I just wanted to lay that guy out flat! But hey....God bless him :)! President Augustin has really been emphasizing the conference talk that Elder Holland gave at the last conference, and I understand why now. The world is moving farther away from the teachings of God, and we are going to eventually be the ones alone and needing to stand tall.

That's a lot of BLEEPS! Glad he's making lots of friends in Van Horn :)! Actually, if that's his first experience with a person like that, then I feel pretty lucky. 

President Augustin gets Released

President Augustin got released as the Lubbock, Texas mission president. They had their last Zone Conference with him, and saw him for the last time. Sawyer said it was pretty sad.

Elder Varvel with President and Sister Augustin.

Elder Walker and Elder Velasco were Sawyer's companions while he was in Muleshoe. That's the area he lost all his pictures from. I was so glad that he saw both of them at Zone Conference and got pictures with them!

Here's part of an e-mail I got from Sawyer:

I officially had one of the most emotional realizations on my mission so far. I have gone through problems about me not seeing any success on my mission and such, but then something happened this week that was very powerful. Elder Walker went to another area after Muleshoe and had really great success. He was telling me about it at Zone Conference. He put his arm around me and said, "Varvy, thank you for changing my mission. I wouldn't have been able to do the things I did without your help and influence." I almost started crying in the middle of Zone Conference! It was then that I realized that I am making a difference while I'm out here. It was one of the best things that has happened to me on my mission!

Elder Varvel and Elder Walker

Elder Velasco and Elder Varvel. Sawyer loved him as a companion!

This is his old district. Elder Barnes, Elder Palmer, Elder Walker, Elder Varvel, Elder Velasco, Sister Hoover, Sister Dawes, Sister Nowling, Sister Laparra.

Lubbock Temple

The missionaries had a chance to go to the Lubbock Temple. Elder Varvel loves every chance they get to visit the Temple!

Elder Varvel and Elder Palmer

Rattlesnakes & Baby Horses

Here's an excerpt from an e-mail I got from Elder Varvel:

So yesterday me and my companion went out to a lady named Jan's ranch. While we were there a rattlesnake came out from under her car and was slithering right up toward my companion. So we spent the next hour killing it with a shovel and any other garden tools we could find. It was pretty awesome! It was getting pretty mad at us and it was a little scary, but we were careful, so don't you worry! :)

Just what every missionary mom wants to hear! Ugh!

Rattlesnake video!

The rattlesnake head!

Then he went on to say:

Earlier today I buried horse afterbirth. It was just nasty...but the baby horse was adorable! :) He couldn't even walk straight yet! 

I'm glad he's out there living the ranch life!

Here's the cute baby horse!