Saying Goodbye

This is one of my ward mission leaders, Larry "stick" Brown. He is a master potter and I was lucky enough to be given a piece before I left.

These are the Osborn's. They took Elder Holmes and I in, treated us like family. They are an awesome family

This man here is Ken Wurdaman. A great man who can quote any scripture and answer any doctrinal question. Brilliant and I learned a lot from him

Chucketta (yes like the banana), she was one of my favorite investigators.

Pete Smith. He was our ward mission leader and a great member. He and his wife did a lot for us.

The Elders and me before I headed off for the airport. It was a weird feeling, I was sad to leave but I loved my Brothers and I knew that I was starting on a new path, a better path that would lead me to a happier, better life.

My Second Area (Trio days)

The Elders of my first district. Myself, Elder Faust, Elder Holmes, and Elder Anderson. My Second Transfer Elder Anderson became our zone leader and Elder Faust joined Elder Holmes and I making us a trio. Shear discombobulation is an understatement. I don't even know if that was a real word but it is now

We still have no idea what we're going to do as a trio covering 2 areas.... Elder Faust and I look to our fearless leader who shrinks behind his Restoration pamphlet.

This is what the sky would look like right before a thunderstorm. Best thunderstorms I've ever been in were in South Carolina, hands down. This Picture does no justice to how incredible these moments were

This was about half way through the transfer after we had started to figure things out. It is a lot easier to smile when you half a game plan

And just because I know how worried everyone is that missionaries are all business and no fun, check it out, Sons of Thunder doing what we do best. Lookin good and serving in the Big Nasty

This was an investigator, he was a tattoo artist by the name "Fat Fred". Way legit, this was taken after we worked on that beater car. We're flashing our official gang sign "the bird"

After the day was done we took a picture of the gang. We're legit don't even worry about letting us know

One of the delicacies of the south. Scrambled eggs and pig brains. YUM!

I found this spider when I was walking up the stairs in our other apt. We put the Zippo lighter next to it for a size comparison. So what did we do...? Scroll down and see

We burnt it. Thats what we did with it. That spider was filthy, absolutely filthy

My First Area (Rockhill, South Carolina Catawba Indian Reservation)

Yes, that is a spaceship on someone's front lawn. Why you might ask? The Question is why not?

 This was a typical meal Elder Holmes and I would make. I present the best breakfast for dinner you can get on a mission. German pancakes, sausage and cheese omelet, and bacon, all smothered in hot syrup.  Jealousy is understandable and if its making you drool stop looking

My first real companion= Elder Holmes. He is a spiritual stud to say the least

We actually watched this monster catch that Grasshopper that its sucking on in the picture. By far the biggest spider I've ever seen. Ever.

Here is another one. They're nicknamed "writing spiders" and they are wicked fast and down right nasty. Think about waking up with this crawling over your face.

FIRST BAPTISM!!! Ricky Wayne Hines on 07/14/2011. This was THEE greatest moment on my mission

Elder Holmes decided to start watching what he ate so this was his last indulgence. Good choice if you ask me.

I came out after my shower that night and this is what I found. We had a good laugh about it. Some things in life you just can't live without. Oreo cookies is one of them.

And this is what happens to suit pants after getting your car outta the mud after a thunderstorm. Ten dollars later I could wear the suit again. My shoes still have dirt on them after this, even after 2 cleanings and polishings

The first days of my Mission

The Mission Home on a beautiful summer day in North Carolina

Elder Jones was my companion for the day before I was assigned to my actual area. He introduced me to a soda that is found only in the south, its called Cheer Wine. If I had to relate it to something it would be kinda like Dr. Pepper but not as wonderful. But it was delicious, especially after biking all day

I guess this picture is a mission tradition. Every new Elder is photographed enjoying his first refreshing, ice cold, Cheer Wine after a hard days work

The Elders I stayed with the night before my first transfer thought it would be clever to make a breakfast that included green eggs because I was a "greenie"  guess how much I loved being the new guy....

And this is me right before leaving to my first transfer. Oh man, I might not look it but I'm scared out my mind right now!!!

The Elders in my MTC District

The Elders from left to right
Elder Turner, Elder Morrison, Elder Christianson, Myself, Elder Carter,  Elder Mumford, 
Elder Fullmer

The Sisters in the district from left to right

Sis. Elliff, Sis Brooksby, Sis. Slaughter, Sis. Gibson

My District outside the Provo Temple

The Elders holding up our fearless district leader Elder Carter

 Roommates Elder Fullmer, Elder Christianson, and Elder Sellers my companion

The Elders and I in my room became big eaters and having Elder Fullmer's mother  send us packages like this didn't help...

These were the Elders and Sisters in my district that went to North Carolina, Charlotte Mission with me. Time to do some baptizing

My MTC teacher Sis. Fraley, her Eggo was major Prego 

My MTC district and teachers before we shipped out to the field

My other MTC teacher Bro. Shumway

The Elders and I playing "A Gentleman's Game", ask me to explain it sometime best game ever invented

Elder Nii, my second week and I was already training. He will be an awesome missionary

This is what happens when 4 missionaries cant sleep and get really thirsty the day before leaving our MTC home...

Some pictures before the mission

The three Amigos pre-mission Elders Craft, Linn, and Brady

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some last minute study before going through those MTC gates

Ellie and I making funny faces, just because we can

And because we were both up early that morning we both started to crash me more than her

The Fam and I across the street from the MTC minutes before I enter

Mission letter 11

Aug 15^th -22^nd

Week 9 in field

man another week come and gone and the weekly letter is here

hey everyone i cannot believe that this week is already over. feels like yesterday that i was writing you. everything here is going great. there are always struggles and challenges but over all i cant complain. i miss you all alot but I'm glad that I'm here. I'm glad i get to serve and preach the gospel to the people in South Carolina. I'm trying to gather my thoughts on what i want to write in this letter
   well not alot has happened. we have done alot of service this week. we helped a tattoo artist by the name of fat Fred sand down his car and paint it again. that was legit. I've never done that before so that was a neat experience. then we helped a lady named chucketta (she is the one we helped quit smoking) paint her ceilings and wash her walls. the difference between the painted and unpainted parts are remarkable. the house is coming together so nicely though it sure does make a difference and she and her granddaughter are very thankful. then we helped a new investigator named Katie with some yard work. she had us planting trees and trimming the grass. she then asked if any of us had any experience in plumbing. i nervously said yeah i can perform minor surgeries but anything that i KNOW i cant fix i wont touch because i don't want to be liable. so she calls me over to her water spicket on the side of her trailer. she turns it on and water shoots out everywhere. i was like what in the heck?! but after closer examination i discovered that the screw that holds in the handle deal thingy was missing so i got on my hands and knees and looked for the dang thing. and of course i found it, tried to put it back in and guess what the screw was stripped so i was like OK ill just hold the screw in and see what happens. water continued to spray out of everywhere but the nozzle. so i decided to take it apart and i found the problem the pressure valve thing (controls how much water is released out of the pipe) was busted. i said, "Katie if you want me to perform the surgery i need you to get me the right tools. so i had to crawl under her trailer home, turn the water main off then go disconnect the spicket from the main water pipe. then she had to get the part and then i had to put everything back together and wash my hands with the new and improved water spicket. i guess the tech. term for it is water Bib but i think that sounds dumb. after all the service we asked if we could teach a lesson and she said yes. she even came to church. it was awesome. so if at first they don't want to hear about the church show them what we believe. hearts are softened when they know that we don't just talk of Christ but act accordingly.
    the trio will be together till at least the 14th of Sept. and we are taking it very seriously. we are actually teaching about 5 or 6 lessons more a week since we started teaching together and we have 2 more baptismal dates! so that's great too. i become senior companion next week till the end of the transfer which is exciting. it doesn't really mean a ton because its part of my training but i am excited to be given more responsibility so i can continue to learn and grow.
   i love you all. i know this gospel is true and that god does have a plan for everyone. i know that as we apply the atonement in our lives we can move on from past sins and try to come closer to the savior. we are all perfect in Christ. i know that i am in this mission for a reason that the Elders i get to serve with are here to help me and i love the opportunities that i get to serve with them. all things denote the hand of god and i don't know where i would be without that knowledge. i love you all, i love this gospel and i know that it is the same gospel that Christ established to help us prepare to live with our father in heaven again. i have to go do the mundane shopping and apartment cleaning now but you are in my prayers and i thank you for keeping me in yours, i feel the blessings everyday
Elder Linn
God is my Salvation; I will trust and not be afraid

Mission letter 10

August 8^th-15^th

Week 8 in field

FAmalia!

I don't have much time this week so I'm gonna have to make this fast. i put 4 pictures on this email hopefully you ll get them all. so the first is one with me covered in dirt. that's from getting our car out of the mud in a storm it was UN-legit. (legit will be used alot now because that is the word the trio is all saying) so anyways it was crazy and i had to push the car up a hill out of the mud. I am legit. but it was hilarious and it took $10 worth of dry cleaning to save my suit. that sucked. the second is of the storm clouds we have been getting just about everyday here. the thunderstorms are incredible and i wish you could see these super storms in person but hopefully the cloud will do for now. also i would never call myself a photographer so sorry about the quality. the next picture is of the sons of thunder (our District/ trio). the elder on the left is Elder Faust, then me, then Elder Holmes. the next picture is what we act like on P-Days..... yeah i know we're still young men give us a break ha. but i love being in a trio. i think i have laughed more in these last two days than i have in my entire life. and that's saying something because if you know me you know i laugh...alot...all the time. so i hope that last picture puts a smile on y'alls faces.
   but lets get down to the business of the week. I'll tell you the good news first. Remember the investigator who i had invited to be baptized but he moved away. well he is back!!!! and he has a baptismal date for the 3rd of Sept!!!!! that made my week! other great things have happened but that definitely topped them all. OK so a few funny moments this week. mostly has to do with people telling us weird things. the first is a perfect example of some of the weird things that happen on the Reservation. so we were going to see a less active and her non-member husband who has stage 4 cancer. but thats not the story the story involves one of their neighbors. so were going to their house and this Indian lady pokes her head out the window and says "I'm doin crack and worshippin satan!" she then slams the window closed. we all look at each other and just bust up and Elder Holmes says "we love you too" i lost it i was crying when we knocked on this families door. then we were at an investigators house and we were talking to her and then her brother says something (i couldn't really hear what he said) and she replies with a "shut up or ima punch you in your nappy head" what?!?! we teach a bunch of crazies! haha the best story for last. we're back in some trailer houses and these all look so run down its gnarly but anyways we walk  up to someones door and they had built a porch type deal. one of the boards was rotted and really bouncing, you know how wood gets when its old and rotted so anyways i say to the guys "watch out for this one dont want you to fall through" we all chuckle and i go to knock the door. as the door opens i hear a Crack/snapping noise and i turn around to see Elder holmes with one leg through this ladies porch!!!! i couldn't even talk to this person i was laughing so hard. i was crying as i asked if she had some time and she blew us off but as all this is going on Elder Holmes is trying to slowly remove his leg from underneath the porch. i laughed for a good 15 min or so. man we have had some hilarious times this week but its been really spiritual as well. we taught 22 lessons which is the most ive ever taught so far in a week! even though were still trying to figure out how to get both areas covered efficiently.the work is continuing to push me physically and spiritually but i know the lord will bless me for the service i am doing. thank you all for the notes you left me that was a great suprise and i hope that can happen again soon! i gotta go now but i love you and i cant wait to read more emails next week!

Love
Elder Linn, a Son of thunder

"All things denote the hand of God" -Bishop Osborn

Mission letter 9

August 1^st-8th

Week 7 in field

hey everyone!

man another week went by and i cant believe that im writing you guys again. mother dearest: thank you for putting my letters on my blog and updating people to receive the emails. im sure dave will know how to update pictures so he will show you. to answer your question anyone who is family can email me and i can email them back. for friends i can recieve an email but thats only to get their address or something i cant email them back, i hope that makes sense.
   ok this week has been much better, seems like the trials in life only prepare us for the things that are coming up in our lives down the road. so transfers were last week and i told you that i wasnt getting transferred. that was a lie. well not really a  lie because i didnt know i was lying yet. let me explain, so the saturday before transfer week we get a phone call telling us if we're staying or going. we got the call and we were told "your both staying". all was well in my world because Elder Holmes is a stud and i want to serve with him as long as possible. but one of our district members (Elder Anderson) was being transferred to a different area. which sucked because i really liked Elder Anderson. so the day before transfers we get a call from the assistants. they told us that Elder Anderson's comp Elder Faust (yes he is related to the Apostle) was being dropped off at our apt. . . . . to become our NEW COMPANION! WHAT?!?! yeah you read that right i am now part of a trio and we were told that we are now covering both areas, which includes both wards during sunday. so yeah that threw us for a loop and i love Elder Faust but we're just totally confused on how we are going to make this work. but you know what a lot of prayer and trust in God goes a long ways. yesterday (07 of Aug.)
   we had church from 8 a.m - 4:30 pm and it was fast sunday. as missionaries, and any return missionary can relate  to this, thats a LONG time to not eat and try to be all there for the members. i loved getting to share my testimony twice though. i made a promise to myself that i will bear my testimony every fast sunday for the rest of my mission (life). man its crazy and were doing so much more cordinating and planning but i know this will make me be a better missionary. i cant wait to get started teaching everyone in the other area. were back up to 4 baptismal dates between the two areas. and i love the investigators that ive already met.
   so we came up with another slogan for our district. "we do hard in the big nasty". yeah i know were thug. you have to be down in the south or they eat you up and spit you out, but seriously we made a decision that no matter how hard this transfer is we will continue to keep working. and i will continue to "do hard" until i can say that i have suffered everyday for my savior. to represent him in everything i do. to stand as a witness that jesus is the christ that he loves all of us and he has made a way to get back to our father in heaven and live with them in glory and eternal happiness.
    the scripture i really loved this week is Alma 26:11,12. i will "boast of my God"  anyone who is reading this letter, please take a moment in your busy lives to read what this scripture says. this scripture explains how i feel. it will let you know that i am ok. that i know why im here and what i plan on continuing to do for the rest of my life. its on the list of all time favs. i have to go but i love you all. thank you for the prayers they mean so much and i know that they help.

untill next time,

Elder Linn (a son of thunder)

"God is my Salvation; I will trust and not be afraid"

Mission letter 8

July 25^th- August 1^st

Week 6 in field

hey ya'll, its once again time to write the weekly letter, (can you believe it?!)

  man oh man guess what i just realized... I've been on my mission for 2 months today! yeah already 2 months. time is flying by and i hear it only gets faster as time goes on. shoot im gonna blink and i'll be on the plane home. but im not thinking about it (I've still got a long ways to go) just a crazy thought. so i hope that the email i forwarded made sense. send everything to me from now on!!! thanks! um yeah so i guess i'll respond to emails first as usual. oh quick side note any family that wants to email me can! yeah, anybody that us related to me can send an email and i can respond! another cool fact for ya. well dad congrats on the pottery showing. man every time you talk about a kiln firing or a show i just get super jealous. i loved helping with those show more than i think ive ever really let you know. i cant wait till i get to help with those again. please keep me updated on how all that kind of stuff is going. and yeah i was signing off last week and your email popped up so i had to wait till this week to read it. but that's ok because i feel like i got to hear from you alot this week and i really needed it (i'll explain in due time). Mom, im so stoked the trek went well. i still remember the trek i went on. remember when we went on the rescue party for that other group. that is probably in my top 10 spiritual experiences of my youth. so im glad that they are still doing it and i hope i can help with the next one. thats so cool that you got to be an angel. i remember watching the woman push the carts and feeling so bad that we couldn't help them but seeing their faith and determination was awesome. i hope you get a break for a few weeks now. sounds like you and dad have been running on empty for awhile. hey angie has a new boyfriend?! what?! craziness i leave for 2 months and she is up and getting herself in a serious relationship. tell her i say congrats. dad its cool that your friend got to come over for a few days (i think its spelled Oneal...?) i remember him. he was a cool guy. um... i think that covers most of it so time for my update

  i want to start off by saying that this week has been the hardest week of my mission so far. hands down. i'm gonna start with the bad and then end on a positive note. so 2 of our baptismal dates dropped. yeah i know my heart almost stopped. one of them, his name is aldon, is 11 yrs old and he was doing so well. he even had his baptism interview questions and he gave some of the best answers ever! he was taking the lessons with his grandma (she has just started coming back to church and is doing great) and then he would go back home. so one night he was teaching his siblings the ten commandments and his mom (who used to be on board and supportive) said that keep the sabbath day holy want a commandment. aldon looked up exodus and everything but she still said no. so she called her uncle who happens to be a baptist preacher and they totally ganged up on him. his grandma called us and told us the whole story (its a long story) but basically Aldon now believes that since he was born and his mothers womb was water that that counts as baptism and that all he needed to do to be saved is pray and ask to be saved. so he said he didnt want to learn anymore because he is already saved. dad any doctrinal help here? but it has to be from the bible. nothing else. oh also quick side note can you please shed more light and knowledge on the alagory of the olive trees in jacob 5? i know your pretty much an expert on the subject so no pressure. thanks! ok back to the story so his grandma is sad cause he was doing so well and was really ready for baptism and now he cant be baptized cause the baptist uncle is in her words "brain washing him"

that was the first big blow. the second came with an investigator who when he was at rock bottom realized all the blessing and wanted us over all the time. but now that he has got his life a little more stable the pride cycle is starting to turn. Dangit! he doesnt think he should have to change, just realize he is a sinner and be baptized. we tried to explain it to him but he is at a standstill. so his date was erased off the baptism board. i kept thinking to myself. what am i doing wrong? am i even a good missionary, am i even making a difference? would it even matter if i went home? for about 2 days i was strugglin and then i thought are these feelings from god? NO! THEY ARE NOT! get thee hence satan i said and prayed earnestly that i could make it through this trail. i thought of joseph smith and what he had to go through in liberty jail. although my circumstances were nothing compared i thought of gods promise. that these adversities would be for a small moment. that trials are for our benefit and learning and that we have challenges to rely more on the lord and make our hearts more tender. what truth! i could not have made it through this week without my friendship with God my father and Jesus Christ. its been hard (elder holmes said that it was his hardest week in the mission and he has been out 20 months! ) but im trying to endure it well. i love the prophet joseph. what an example to me and to all of us. so thats my sad story but time to move on and stay strong in the faith.

  so there were also good moments during the week. we had transfers and Elder Holmes and i are staying together! hurray for awesome trainers and a great area. sad note- another elder in my district, elder Anderson, is leaving us to become a zone leader. sad day, its crazy how close you get to others in your district in such a short time. but yeah we're still together. but now the moment you've all been waiting for the funnny story of the week. well in our last district meeting elder holmes and i decided to name our district something. we are now surnamed "The Sons of Thunder". look up MARK 3:17. but to go along with that title we have to earn it so now go to ALMA 29:1,2 "O that i were an angel... with the voice of thunder" oh yeah were gonna be angels with voices like thunder, who like it says in D&C 35:13-15 " thrash the nations by the power of the Spirit". yeah i know were totally awesome. basically the best district ever with super human powers. its funny though because there are thunderstorms all the time here so its only fitting. and last night during a really bad super storm Elder Holmes and I sent the other elders in our district this text "you know our district is working hard when our efforts are  published in the symphony of the skies... WE ARE THE SONS OF THUNDER!!!". yeah i know its thee coolest surname ever. period.

well i love you all and i hope your doing well. remember that when everything seems to be going against you, pray harder, ponder more deeply the word of God and trust in our Savior to pick you up when you cant seem to stand any longer. -a direct quote from Elder Linn (i know i think that this whole mission thing is actually making me smarter...go figure, and yes chance if you wanna use that line in your next talk to enhance your words of wisdom i'll give you permission). Love Ya'll !!!!!

Love,

Your Son of Thunder

                           Elder Linn

"I will trust and not be afraid" 

Mission letter 7

July 18^th-25^th

Week 5 in field

Weekly Letter Time!,

well i hadnt received a letter from dad this week so mother its up to you to send it out this time. one quick concern/question im telling people to post on my FAcebook page their addresses to get the weekly letter so if you could check that to make sure you have everyone that would be awesome. thank you so much!. the work is going well and thank you so much for the package! the camelback is just what i needed the heat index for the last week didnt fall below 100 degrees. and there is supposed to be a heat wave this week! yeah i might die. i drink on average 2 gallons a day i think and most of it i just sweat out. so thank you for the pack and all the goodies. elder holmes is mad though because he is starting a diet and sunday night (the 24th) was his last day to eat what he wanted so there are pictures of him stuffing his face full of Oreo's and hiding them while is is crouched on the floor. he is a great companion and we get along great. no complaints for me i hope i get to be with him for the rest of the time he is out here. that would be awesome! so the pictures of the spiders... yeah those things are HUGE! !!! no lie those pictures dont do those things justice. but thats a taste of the smaller wildlife i get to deal with during the summer months in South Carolina. no complaints but i would hate for one of those to crawl across my face as i slept. and pictures of my desk and part of my apartment. but enough talk of less than important things, time for the weekly report.

    so a few things hapened this week. first we had to move one of our baptismal dates back because he isnt progressing like he should and we wanna make sure he is ready. i mean i get why we did it, the spirit told us that it was the thing to do but it still is sad when you see the devil working so hard on them to not feel the spirit. he is doing well and hoefully he will be prepared by his date Aug. the 13th. its crazy how much you care for investigators of the church. i pray so much for guidance on how to help them, and what i can do to be a better tool in the lords hands.

    some good news/ turned out to be bad. another investigator (jamie) with a B-date quit dipping! yeah we taught him this program and he got up found all his cans and handed them over, right then and there. i was so proud of him. but.... for his birthday a friend gave him 5 cans without knowing he was trying to quit and he gave in after 4 days without dipping once. i just wanted to say "GET THEE HENCE SATAN!!!" but were gonna keep working with him. if god gave up on us if we messed up once where would we be. and  as representatives of christ its our job to continue working with him. i already love working and teaching him and i think he is one of those that i am supposed to teach on my mission. never give up. and for the final news of the week...

    my first baptism happened 07-23-2011!!!!! yeah buddy the picture is of Ricky who is 11 and he even asked me to baptize him. what an honor and blessing it was to go into the water with him and help him recieve the blessing of baptism. what a testimony builder it was for me. i was so thankful that i had that oppertunity. and we have 3 more coming up in the coming month. i might not be the baptizer but just knowing that we helped someone get that much closer to their heavenly father is the fruits of our labors being harvested. i love my job!

    i love you. each and everyone of you reading this e-mail. you have all no doubt been apart of my life in one role or another and i want to thank you. mom i love you. you never gave up on me and even if we butted heads you remained a loving mother to which i could always rely. for this i am eternally grateful. dad you had my back even when i felt no one else did. i could count on you being in my corner every time. to pick me up when i was at the lowest parts of my life. thank you for being a rock in my foundation. thank you both for being the example of the parents i should be for my children (that day isnt for a LONG time) but thank you. i love you both. tell everyone in the fam that i love em too. tell the ward family hi and that im doing well. i miss em all. untill next time,

Love The Lord's Servant,

Elder Ethan M. Linn

"God is my Salvation; I will trust and not be afraid" - 2 Nephi 22:1-4

Mission letter 6

July 11^th-18^th

Week 4 in field

HEY YALL,

i cant belive that another week has already gone by! crazyness. this letter will be shorter sorry but its been alot of finding this week, because our teaching pool is drying up. ill start by answering/responding to mail. dad i do remember the art walk. thats great that it went well. i didnt know that you were going to pick up angie, why? the pottery thing thats ok just send it when you can, ill be here for at least another transfer ( 6 weeks) but send it to my address not the mission home. all mail (this includes everyone!!!) send to the mission home. it might take a day or two more to get to me but if i were to get transfered without notice i wouldn't want my mail being sent to an old area. missionaries aren't the best at forwarding mail to other missionaries. dad i sent the e-mail with the new mission home address so forward that to everyone that might need it please! thanks. all packages however must be sent to the address that im living. its all in the e-mail if you check it out it should make sense.
so this week like i said wasn't to exciting just alot of faith finding (tracting is a dirty word that we're trying to get rid of in our mission). faith finding involves being lead by the spirit and as we do that i can tell that we have more success. so one of our baptismal canidates fed us the other night. he is struggling with some things and he has lost all his old friends because he is trying to live a better life so its hard on him. but randy is still progressing and its awesome to see. but please keep him in your prayers. the rest of our investigators are doing well. i have a baptism this sat!!!! so stoked for it. ricky is super excited too. our other investigators and baptismal canidates are doing well they all have personal struggles but they see the blessings that come from following the commandments we teach them. which is such a testimony builder for me. i cant tell you how much my testimony of the power of the holy ghost in conversion has grown. my testimony in general is tried everyday but i know that as i endure it well it is strengthend and God makes up the difference that my burden may be light.
funny story. were eating at a members house and his 7 yr old son is all hyper and he starts talking about the girl at school he likes. he says they're dating and he starts laughing and then he says "but im cheatin on my woman" and elder holmes and i just start bustin up, the boy continues "yeah im a playa" i was crying i was laughing so hard. he didnt even say "playER" it was "playA". he named off the other 7 yr olds he was dating and i just thought to myself "was i like that?" ha we all had a laugh over that for a good 20 min. kids say the darnest things.
well thats the letter. i have to go now but please keep my investigators in your prayers i know it helps and god hears and answers prayers. the 6 were really working with are Ken, Randy, Ricky, the Raban FAmily, Jamie, and Alden. they're all amazing and i know that it will help. thank you for your suppport your love and everything each and everyone of you reading this for what you have done in my life. i am who i am because of your examples in my life. the gospel is true. the book is blue. and im a mormon through and through. (id thought id go off in style, because thats just who i am)

Love the Lord's Servant,
Elder Linn
"God is my Salvation; I will trust and not be afraid"

Mission letter 5

July 5^th- July 11^th

Week 3 in field

hi yall's its time for the weekly letta already!,

so i finally got the pictures to work so i put a couple on here. the first is of my companion Elder Holmes.i love serving with that man and he is truly a blessing in my life right now. the second is of my MTC District, they're all awesome and they're going to be awesome missionaries. the third picture just shows that even though were elders we still know how to have fun (and make a man in a suit look good). the 4th is pictures of the elders i roomed with. i grew closer with these elders than most people i have ever come in contact with and i didnt even know their first names. the one in the stripped black and white shirt was my comp in the MTC. he turned out to be a great missionary and i love them all to death. the next picture is of us pointing to our mission, classic missionary picture. the next picture is me standing next to a spaceship in someones front yard in south carolina (we still dont know how it got there, or why someone has one just chillin on their lawn). and the last picture is one of the meals Elder Holmes and i made for ourselves it included german pancakes, bacon, eggs with italian sausage, and a tall glass of milk. speaking of food we have a dinner appointment every night of the week. the ward here is awesome and they will make me fat i just know it, but thats ok to me. the meal elder holmes and i made it was delicious. hope you enjoy the pictures and ill try to update more that i would love to see on the missionary blog!!
   ok to get to the letter, being a missionary is hard work. i dont care what anyone says it runs you in the ground. but i wouldnt trade it for anything. being this close to the spirit is the best thing someone could do with their lives and im already fearing being asked to take my tag off. one interesting experience that happened this week, i was knocking on a door and it was answered by a young girl, probably around the age of 7 or 8 who was just about completely naked.... yeah weird i tried to look at the ceiling and asked if her mom was home, she said yes and left from sight. i looked back at my comp and we both just made a "now what" face. when the mom finally appeared at the door she was joined by another girl she was at least 12 or so and she too was in nothing but half her underwear!!! what the heck?!?! what mother lets her young daughteres walk around pretty much naked, answering the door and standing in front of young men?! i kept stumbling over my words, eventually she said she wasnt interested and i was like "thank you!!!!". its a scary world we live in. but those weird experiences and hard times in 102 degree weather is a small price to pay to find the elect, who have been waiting to hear the gospel. WE NOW HAVE 4 BAPTISMAL DATES!!!!!! 2 of our investigators set a date sunday (10th). alden is 11 and such a stud. his date is for aug. 13th. and then the really cool experience came when a young woman in our ward invited her cousin to a Q&A night. he sat and listened and started asking questions. we taught him for the first time yesterday and elder HOlmes and I both felt the need to commit to baptism and he agreed excitedly. I love the gospel of jesus christ!!!! his name is Jamie and he is already an awesome investigator. i cant wait to continue teaching him and preparing him for baptism. one of our other baptismal dates moved his date again to even sooner! his name is ricky and he is just so excited we teach him and he remembers everything. he is also 11. again what an example to me that we all need to be that excited about the gospel. our other Bap. canidate is doing great as well. so if you could keep jamie, Alden, Ricky, and Randy in your prayers that would be much appriecated. i hope that you can get help with the roof dad wish i was there. tell mom that she is awesome and i love her, give her a kiss for me. i love you to dad. thank you for setting the example of what it means to honor your priesthood and always be worthy to use it. i cant tell you how thankful i am for that. tell chance that he better be careful im working out everyday now and im gaining weight so he best be ready for a throw down when i get home. i love you all. i know this gospel is true. i know that christ lived and died for each and everyone of us and he is waiting for us to come unto him and follow the path back to our father in heaven. i love my testimony and i love that it is constantly growing. the challanges in life will be for but a moment and if we endure it well we are promised eternal blessings. (Joseph smith is my hero). i love you all and untill next week, dont forget to go ova yonda an pick up ya scriptures and feast on the word. (imagine southern accent here)

Love the lords servant
Elder Linn
"God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid"

Mission letter 4

June 27^th-July 5^th

Week 2 in field

Dear Familia and Friends,

this has been an awesome week and i cant wait to tell you all about it. to begin i'll answer questions that some of you might be having. my Prep-day is on mondays. i can recieve e-mails from anyone however i can only write emails to family (includes extended family). so if anyone wants to email make sure to put our address down so i can write you back. second mother i cant think of anythings i need at the moment besides the stamps, camelback and anything else i said i needed in prior letters but cant remember at the moment. dad the pottery is awesome here and Larry ( ward mission leader, we have to call members by their first names because everyone on the reservation is related and its too confusing) would love a piece and he is giving me one to send to you! so they dont use a wheel and they do the fast firings in the ground i cant remember right now what thats called but it ends when they put the pots in a metal trash can. its beautiful work. i didnt know you wanted to serve with some wild indian's,  that's way cool though and they are super awesome. they believe so powerfully in the priesthood. makes me think of what a powerful tool it is in my life
    ok now for the weekly update. so ill start off with the funny story and then onto the spiritual experieces. so my companion Elder Holmes pointed to a plane the other day and asked "elder how far away do you think that plane is?" i answered "about a mile an a half i dont know for sure" he replied "looks about 23 months away to me". i just started bustin up. but then i realized ive already been out for a month! time is already flying anmd i just started my mission, and everyone is telling me time will only go by faster. so i just remember to lose myself in the work and the trials and hard times will be but a moment. ok so sad news this week, the investigator that i commited to be baptized... moved. sad day. he found a job and took the offer so now he is meeting with other missionaries i mean as long as he is baptized im happy but it was my first investigator so i was alittle disapointed. and yesterday we had to drop 2 baptisimal canidates (they're brothers) because they arent coming to church. but they want to be baptized so as soon as we get them to church they willl be back on the list. but i have 2 incredible stories that made the week. the first is a new investigator, his name is ricky he is 11 and after the first lesson commited to be baptized! the other day he asked " can you guys teach me from 6:30 am to 9:30 pm so i can get baptized asap?" i was shocked. a young boy wanted so badly to be close to god that he asked us to be taught that much. we of course said we couldnt but we did move his date from Aug. 13th to July 30th. he is a great kid and an example to me that we all need to have that intense desire to come closer to Christ and always strive to be the best we can be. i read a talk this morning its "the Atonement by cleon skousen" i encourage all that read this letter to look it up and read it. you will see the atonement in a whole new light and it means so much more to me now. it really is an amazing talk. its got some deep doctrine but so so good. the second incredible story is about our investigator Randy beck on friday the 2nd he called us multiple times about the miracles that were occuring that day. the first time he called it was after he read about nephi killing laban to get the plates. he LOVED that story. he then told us the news, after 2 yrs of looking for work a company called him and he starts today (the 5th of july)!!!!! i stood up with both fists in the air. as missionaries we pray for these individuals to see the miracles in their lives as they exercise faith. we have been praying for randy a ton because the struggles he has come from his having nothing to do during the day. but now that he is busy and exercising his faith he is being blessed. then he calls back later and tells us that an animal lover that has been helping him with his dog and 6 puppies (she is an amazing woman) brought over more dog food. she has already taken care of all the shots for the 7 dogs built a bigger kennal and given him food, all for free i might add. so she is a HUGE BLESSING in his life and he sees that. he called again later and said she came back over with good news... she found a home for all the puppies! his truck was fixed (for free) just blessing upon blessing and he was realizing this. we need but exercise a particle of faith and the lord reigns down blessings that we dont have room enough to recieve them. randy was realizing this and he is so much more willing and wants to be better. it was a testimony builder to me that the lord will help our weak things become strong. i know that im out here for a reason to meet specific people and that the lord will provide a way. i love you all and i hope that you all know that. i have run out of time and have to go but know that i have a testimony that will not be shaken. untill next week take goo care of yalls selfs ya hear!

Love Elder Linn "i will trust and not be afraid"

P.s can you ask president craft if i can get his talks on the atonement the medical one and the one he gave at the ysa thing? thanks!!!!

Mission letter 3

June 13-June 27^th

Week 3 MTC, week 1 in field

Dear Familia and Friends!

 tanakie (thats hello in catawba Indian). so turns out that im not even in North Carolina during my first few months in the field. Im in South Carolina on the Catawba Indian Reservation, no there are not any T.P's or log cabins. they do have trailer homes though. dad the pottery is beautiful and one of the ward mission leaders is a master potter and he said he is gonna help me make some and give me a piece to send you. it really is beautiful work. so for the next three months ill be serving with the descendants of the lamanites how cool is that! im already talkin southern. over yonder, mam, sir and the like. the first time i spoke southern i was talking about corn and i said " i love puttin butta with some salt and peppa" yeah i said peppa. i was shocked. my comp even looked back and said "did you really just say that". so im learning the language. now all i need to do is mumble more and slur my words. there really is a different language down here. the first 4 or 5 meals i had with members was spagetti. yeah. i was wondering where the heck i was cause everyone was serving me italian food. cracked me up. so yeah im in north carolina and the people are awesome (ill talk about investigators soon) i already love those that i get to serve everyday. the weather is nuts! its in the 90's with 90% humidity. i sweat like a pig!!! really though its rediculous how much i sweat. but i love it. no complaints here just smiles. but i would LOVE if there was anyway to send me my camelpack..... it would be the perfect backpack and it would give me enough water to get through the day.
  ok so my companion/trainer is the most awesome sud ever! seriously he is so great and im already learning alot from him. his name is Elder Holmes. he has such a desire to serve that it keeps me going when its the middle of the day and i feel like im gonna die. he helps me alot and he said that with the way im already teaching ill most likely be training in 3 months. he has alot of faith in me which is also an awesome  thing. we follow the rules with exactness and im already seeing the miracles it can bring to me during my mission. the mission president is also great. i can tell he is called of god and that he knows what hes doing. really a great pres. and im excited to work with him. he is only here for one more year though so ill get a new president when i get out a year. i love the area i love the people i love the president, and i love my companion.
   so the investigators we have right now. there is alot of less actives in the area so its alot more reactivation than finding. we still tract but its different than most people think when they think of missionary work. there was 3 people preparing for baptism before i got in the area now there is 4! yeah my first week i commited a young man (his name is shawn) to be baptized and he said yes!!!! he was so excited that we met with him and he is a great investigator. the spirit just told me that i should commit him and so i followed that prompting. so now were preparing for 4 baptisms in july! its amazing how the gospel blesses people and i get to witness that change in them. i know why im out here and i am so blessed to get to wear Christs name on my chest everyday. i love each and every one of you reading this letter and i pray for all of you. dad i got this strange feeling that your gonna be in a church leadership position... so i dont know but it keeps popping up in  my head that your gonna be called to something soon. i really do love this work and i can see the spirit blessing my life each and every moment.
 a side note: mother (or father) the missionary blog that i set up i cant actually update so i will need one of you to do it. please put that the area im currently serving "south carolina catawba indian reservation" my new companion "elder holmes" (his first name isnt sherlock i checked) and that i have 4 people preparing for baptism. ill send pictures next time to put on the site and there is a way to put all the letters on there as well maybe see if chance can help you.
  anyways i love you and i cant wait to write to you again next week. untill then keep the missionaries in your prayers. the names of my maine investigators are chucketa, alex, randy, shawn, austin, justin, ken. if you could keep them in your prayers i know itll help. the power of prayer is so true and it is real. i can testify of that. i love this gospel i love this work and i love all of you. thank you for the support and love you've all given me.

love the lords servant
Elder Linn

"God is my Salvation; i will trust and not be afraid"