Dear Family and Friends,
The work goes forth out here in Fort Collins. My companion and I worked extra hard this week to talk to people and to bring them unto the gospel. I’m trying hard to be the example and missionary I’m meant to be. The work with our investigator is starting to role. She was the really sick one who we gave a blessing too and she got better and is putting her faith in the Lord. She still doesn’t think it is time to get baptized but she credits her recovery to the blessing. She commented this week on how she is starting to want religion back in her life. She even bore her testimony without realizing it, she said that the days we come over, she has a much better day. We talked more about the spirit and I’m hoping maybe we can help her set a date to strive to be baptized. I’m excited and hope and pray that she will recognize the prompting of the spirit testifying to her that this is the true church and of her need to be baptized. We will see how it goes. At church we had some of the members bring a few nonmember friends. I’m hoping for these people. Maybe they will want to start investigating the gospel. One of them is definitely looking to start having religion in her life. She didn’t have a good experience with the missionaries last time but maybe we can change that. The work with recent and less-active members is going pretty good. We focused on Bro. Montoya and invited him to come to the stake activity and church. I called him Sunday morning and invited him to come. He didn’t show but hopefully he will come next week. I’m not sure how else to inspire him. He has to make the decision to come. I almost feel he has completely closed himself off to the idea of really coming back to church. I will ponder and pray about what to do with him.This past week we ran into several potential investigators tracting. We tracted into Chris and he even let us talk to him and give him a short lesson. We will be stopping by later this week to talk to him and his girlfriend. He is going to the military in August. He seemed interested in learning more about our religion. We will invite him to church this Sunday. The work goes forth. I’m loving reading the books and learning about the gospel. Last Sunday I was given the teachings of the prophets and I was hoping to read more from this series. We where at the church loading up chairs for the stake activity on Saturday, when I came across two more of them with a note saying “Please take one” I gladly took both and will enjoy reading from them. I’m grateful for the many blessings the Lord has granted unto me.
I’m doing great, the work goes forth!!! So on Tuesday, I was tracting with the district leader on exchanges when we ran into a family in the ward I had not met before. They said hello and asked where I was from, I told here I hail from Mesa Arizona. The mom said really? Do you know a Richard Durfee? I told her I had a grandpa named Richard and asked how old he should be she said about her age. She went to high school with him. His family would clean the stake center every night and that he DJ’d the dances for the young single adults. I was like yeah, that is my uncle. What a small world we live in, her maiden name is Cynthia Cox, Uncle Rick do you remember her? She remembers you. A new family moved into the ward, I met them on Sunday. Their last name is the Bowman. I got to ask them if they knew a Dave Bowman. Apparently Bro. Bowman is Daves uncle. What an odd coincidence. Nice family with three kids. It was great to run into some people who know people I know.
Elder Durfee
PS Have a wonderful week Family. I love you
Pss I'm buying a new bike this week. The free one I got is starting to wear out. You know how the wheels are supposed to be round? Well yeah. The wheel rubs horrible against the frame of the bike for some reason. I’m looking into buying a new one or getting this one fixed.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
July 20, 2009 letter
Dear Family and Friends,
Hello all of you I hope you are doing wonderful this past week because I had an excellent week. Family I hope you have made it safe home from Horseshoe Lake. I was praying for you all week that everyone would come home safe and sound. I hope you are all now safe. I received your package of cookies it was wonderful. Thank you.
This past week my companion and I have worked hard to help the people in our area prepare for the ordinances of the gospel. We did lots of tracting and went by and visited many people in the area.We worked hard to visit many of the less-active members and recent converts. We gave a lesson to Bro. Montoya on the blessings the Lord gives us and taught him how the Lord will help us keep all his commandments 1 NE 3:7. He will help us accomplish all things. We invited him to church and asked how we can better help him. He says he is just dealing with some things but that we are free to come by and visit him. We called him Sunday morning to invite him to church but he did not come. Maybe next week he will come to church. My studies have been progressively getting better this past week. I stopped studying for myself and started studying for the people the Lord will put in front of me. Studies are going wonderful . I am studying from Preach My Gospel and truly feasting from the scriptures. The work is going Forth, We can do it! ONWARD WITH MIGHT Elder Durfee
Hello all of you I hope you are doing wonderful this past week because I had an excellent week. Family I hope you have made it safe home from Horseshoe Lake. I was praying for you all week that everyone would come home safe and sound. I hope you are all now safe. I received your package of cookies it was wonderful. Thank you.
This past week my companion and I have worked hard to help the people in our area prepare for the ordinances of the gospel. We did lots of tracting and went by and visited many people in the area.We worked hard to visit many of the less-active members and recent converts. We gave a lesson to Bro. Montoya on the blessings the Lord gives us and taught him how the Lord will help us keep all his commandments 1 NE 3:7. He will help us accomplish all things. We invited him to church and asked how we can better help him. He says he is just dealing with some things but that we are free to come by and visit him. We called him Sunday morning to invite him to church but he did not come. Maybe next week he will come to church. My studies have been progressively getting better this past week. I stopped studying for myself and started studying for the people the Lord will put in front of me. Studies are going wonderful . I am studying from Preach My Gospel and truly feasting from the scriptures. The work is going Forth, We can do it! ONWARD WITH MIGHT Elder Durfee
July 13, 2009
Dear Friends,
The work has been going forth this past week, my new companion is amazing. We have so much fun together. I have been biking like crazy this past week and it is safe to say my legs are tired. My thighs are twice the size they used to be. Yes I’m still using the same old bike I had before. I’ve been blessed to have the brakes kind of work for me. It’s like driving the white van, you just have to give your self a long following distance. I got another flat tire this week. We were right out front the plaza in the middle of this mall when I rolled my bike forward and right in front of us the tire went Pop and out went all the air in my tire. I’m not sure as to what caused the tire to pop but we were very blessed anyways. There was a bike store “Sports Authority” right across the way and I was able to go buy a new tire relatively easily. So we walked the bikes home (it was in the afternoon this time) fixed the tire and were on our way. It was a great day and I felt so blessed to be right next to the bike store when it had happened.
I have been trying to write down a few tidbits of a motivational or inspirational message on my daily planner for each day. It has really helped to have an inspirational message for me. It brings me back to who I am and exactly what I am trying to accomplish. This last week we were greatly blessed in being able to accomplish our daily lesson goals. We taught a large number of sixteen lessons this past week. What a blessing it has been. One exciting story is that we had a wonderful gentleman showed up for church and told us he had only been to one of our services once before, and that was in the 1960’s. He might come back to church next week and said we could visit him. What a blessing.
Dad,I have been struggling with my personal studies this last past week. I felt like I wasn't truly feasting from the scriptures like I used to. I kind of feel like my prayers am not making it outside of the house I’m in. I want to do what I can but just feel like I’m running on empty. I'm going to work on studying humility this week. I think by getting a greater understanding of who I am and of how much I owe my savior and Heavenly Father everything will benefit me and give me the humility necessary to truly ask and pray for help. To have real intent with my prayers. I feel like I kind of get sloppy. so this week I am working on keeping my testimony simple, true and by these simple truths, feel the spirit testify to me the divinity of my savior. I want to be an active participant. I will work on being sincere. The work goes forth. I hope you are doing good. I know this is the true work. The gospel will go forth “Nobly, boldly, and independently, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the great Jehovah shall say, the work is done". We can do it!!!
Mom,Hello I love you and hope you are doing good. I’m going to try and send a few pictures in the mail this week. Tell the family I love them and am just doing wonderful. Oh I have gotten pretty strong. I do 60 pushups and 120 sit ups every morning. It’s great. My rib has been bothering me again. I had to take it a little easier this past week but the Lord is watching over me.
I love you Celeste and Casey, Hello happy couple, I hope you are surviving the summer. This past week my companion and I have been riding our bikes around in 90 degree weather. I have a nice red cherry face. I will be wearing sunscreen next week. I saw my first cherry tree this last week. We were tempted to eat one but the guy had not been too happy to meet us and we did not want to go back to his front door and asked him if we could eat his food. The cherries looked really red. I love you Joycelyn, Katie, Alden, Dayson, Dustin, and Jaydon, I love you all!!! It has been great up here. My companion and I splurged this last week and bought pudding and Jell-O for every day. It has been really good. You should try the chocolate pudding some time really bad for you but definitely scrumptious. I love you all
bye, Elder Durfee
The work has been going forth this past week, my new companion is amazing. We have so much fun together. I have been biking like crazy this past week and it is safe to say my legs are tired. My thighs are twice the size they used to be. Yes I’m still using the same old bike I had before. I’ve been blessed to have the brakes kind of work for me. It’s like driving the white van, you just have to give your self a long following distance. I got another flat tire this week. We were right out front the plaza in the middle of this mall when I rolled my bike forward and right in front of us the tire went Pop and out went all the air in my tire. I’m not sure as to what caused the tire to pop but we were very blessed anyways. There was a bike store “Sports Authority” right across the way and I was able to go buy a new tire relatively easily. So we walked the bikes home (it was in the afternoon this time) fixed the tire and were on our way. It was a great day and I felt so blessed to be right next to the bike store when it had happened.
I have been trying to write down a few tidbits of a motivational or inspirational message on my daily planner for each day. It has really helped to have an inspirational message for me. It brings me back to who I am and exactly what I am trying to accomplish. This last week we were greatly blessed in being able to accomplish our daily lesson goals. We taught a large number of sixteen lessons this past week. What a blessing it has been. One exciting story is that we had a wonderful gentleman showed up for church and told us he had only been to one of our services once before, and that was in the 1960’s. He might come back to church next week and said we could visit him. What a blessing.
Dad,I have been struggling with my personal studies this last past week. I felt like I wasn't truly feasting from the scriptures like I used to. I kind of feel like my prayers am not making it outside of the house I’m in. I want to do what I can but just feel like I’m running on empty. I'm going to work on studying humility this week. I think by getting a greater understanding of who I am and of how much I owe my savior and Heavenly Father everything will benefit me and give me the humility necessary to truly ask and pray for help. To have real intent with my prayers. I feel like I kind of get sloppy. so this week I am working on keeping my testimony simple, true and by these simple truths, feel the spirit testify to me the divinity of my savior. I want to be an active participant. I will work on being sincere. The work goes forth. I hope you are doing good. I know this is the true work. The gospel will go forth “Nobly, boldly, and independently, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the great Jehovah shall say, the work is done". We can do it!!!
Mom,Hello I love you and hope you are doing good. I’m going to try and send a few pictures in the mail this week. Tell the family I love them and am just doing wonderful. Oh I have gotten pretty strong. I do 60 pushups and 120 sit ups every morning. It’s great. My rib has been bothering me again. I had to take it a little easier this past week but the Lord is watching over me.
I love you Celeste and Casey, Hello happy couple, I hope you are surviving the summer. This past week my companion and I have been riding our bikes around in 90 degree weather. I have a nice red cherry face. I will be wearing sunscreen next week. I saw my first cherry tree this last week. We were tempted to eat one but the guy had not been too happy to meet us and we did not want to go back to his front door and asked him if we could eat his food. The cherries looked really red. I love you Joycelyn, Katie, Alden, Dayson, Dustin, and Jaydon, I love you all!!! It has been great up here. My companion and I splurged this last week and bought pudding and Jell-O for every day. It has been really good. You should try the chocolate pudding some time really bad for you but definitely scrumptious. I love you all
bye, Elder Durfee
Monday, July 6, 2009
July 6, 2009
Dear Everyone,
This last past week my companion and I tried to help our investigators set goals for baptism. We are working hard with our investigator Mike Velty. We had lost contact with him but managed to run back into him. Apparently his house flooded. We could have helped him but O well. We set up another appointment with him and are hopefully going to see him this up coming Tuesday.The work for the less active and recent converts is happening. We went and visited a recent convert (Bro. Dessin) and answered many of his questions. The lesson we talked on was just what he needed and he said so himself. It was on the Book of Mormon and the importance of it. We answered many of his other questions. Apparently he was getting overwhelmed with all the classes reading material and other things that come with new converts to the church. We tried to help sparkle his hope and helped him set a goal to get married to his wife in the temple. That is something that he wants and will strive for. The work has been going great out here. One of the recent convert tripped and fell on her face on sidewalk. She is very bruised up. We are planning on visiting here next week. I have been feasting from the scriptures this last past week. I feel like I have been spiritually filled. The Lord has blessed me and if I could only continue to work with the best of spirit and actually be there in lessons. I find I have to Re-focus my mind during lessons many times to stay active in the lessons. I keep getting forgetful and having to really pay attention. Plus I have to make curfew. I get really tired and just feel drained. My companion and I have worked really hard tracting for the elect and have four or five great potential investigators. We tried to set appointments with them but with the holidays most of our appointments have been moved to next week. Happy July fourth to you all! My companion and I had a lovely evening getting home early and getting our hair cut. Yes Elder Lofgreen cut my hair. It looks great, He confided in me that it was actually the second time he has ever given a hair cut. It looks pretty good except I have no bangs.So the rumors are true, I’m in a new area with a new companion this transfer. He is really nice and has an awesome name, Elder Berry. I’m excited and ready to start with gusto!!! See you all,Elder Durfee
Dear Katie
I have been doing good. Way to go for Efy. That is Awesome that you went. I remember having so much fun; hopefully it wasn’t too hard not having a room mate. Yes I received the last lemon bars. Thank you for putting them in a zip lock bag. It would have been a bad ride without it. I was a little scared to eat the lemon bar but I ate it any way. Tasted good. It left an ugly stain in the box that was mailed to me. Just send cookies, I like those and don’t think I’m going to die from eating them a few days old. Thankyou for you hard efforts though. Keep up the good work, you are amazing!!! Love,
Elder Durfee
This last past week my companion and I tried to help our investigators set goals for baptism. We are working hard with our investigator Mike Velty. We had lost contact with him but managed to run back into him. Apparently his house flooded. We could have helped him but O well. We set up another appointment with him and are hopefully going to see him this up coming Tuesday.The work for the less active and recent converts is happening. We went and visited a recent convert (Bro. Dessin) and answered many of his questions. The lesson we talked on was just what he needed and he said so himself. It was on the Book of Mormon and the importance of it. We answered many of his other questions. Apparently he was getting overwhelmed with all the classes reading material and other things that come with new converts to the church. We tried to help sparkle his hope and helped him set a goal to get married to his wife in the temple. That is something that he wants and will strive for. The work has been going great out here. One of the recent convert tripped and fell on her face on sidewalk. She is very bruised up. We are planning on visiting here next week. I have been feasting from the scriptures this last past week. I feel like I have been spiritually filled. The Lord has blessed me and if I could only continue to work with the best of spirit and actually be there in lessons. I find I have to Re-focus my mind during lessons many times to stay active in the lessons. I keep getting forgetful and having to really pay attention. Plus I have to make curfew. I get really tired and just feel drained. My companion and I have worked really hard tracting for the elect and have four or five great potential investigators. We tried to set appointments with them but with the holidays most of our appointments have been moved to next week. Happy July fourth to you all! My companion and I had a lovely evening getting home early and getting our hair cut. Yes Elder Lofgreen cut my hair. It looks great, He confided in me that it was actually the second time he has ever given a hair cut. It looks pretty good except I have no bangs.So the rumors are true, I’m in a new area with a new companion this transfer. He is really nice and has an awesome name, Elder Berry. I’m excited and ready to start with gusto!!! See you all,Elder Durfee
Dear Katie
I have been doing good. Way to go for Efy. That is Awesome that you went. I remember having so much fun; hopefully it wasn’t too hard not having a room mate. Yes I received the last lemon bars. Thank you for putting them in a zip lock bag. It would have been a bad ride without it. I was a little scared to eat the lemon bar but I ate it any way. Tasted good. It left an ugly stain in the box that was mailed to me. Just send cookies, I like those and don’t think I’m going to die from eating them a few days old. Thankyou for you hard efforts though. Keep up the good work, you are amazing!!! Love,
Elder Durfee
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
June 29, 2009 letters
June 22, 2009
Dear Dad
It is going good out here for me. I’m working hard and trying to do my best. I’m learning lots about missionary work and being in charge. My companion has left for exchanges twice now to another area. This leaves me with another elder and me as senior companion. I worked hard and the Lord helped me plan and fill our time. We have done some great things. Giving service to members and tracting for the elect. It is hard work but we can do it. We just struggle and struggle for lessons this week. We kept trying to teach new investigators and lessons to families but everyone kept canceling or not showing up. We had to eat dinner twice this last week at home. We still find food to eat but it is hard on our lesson teaching numbers. Well I love you dad and hope you are doing great. Keep up the good work. Remember put your faith first in your Heavenly Father. I love you, Elder Durfee
Dear Mom,
Something went wrong with your Cox net. It sent the emails back to me. I resent them too you. I have not moved to a new area yet. I’m still here in Fort Collins. We have transfers this upcoming Monday. Every six weeks I could be moved around. I don’t know if I’ll stay with Elder Lofgreen or not but it looks like I’ll be here. I’m glad the reunion was fun. That’s really cool you got to get a chance to take a tour. You would just love it up here. It has been beyond normally wet up here and all the plan life is thriving. We have been eating meals from the Mesers (home) garden. All sorts of good food and it is just thriving. We went on a hike of Horse Tooth Mountain today. It was really good except I lost the phone in a tight crevice on the top of the mountain. We needed something long and straight. Nothing ended up working even the shoe lace with a lope on the end didn’t work… so we are phone-less. I had to call the mission office and explain the whole thing. Kinda hard and messy work. The lady in the office laughed out loud when I told her what happened. She said to “Take some gum on the end of a stick”… she thought it was hilarious. They are overnighting a new phone to us. Sometime tomorrow or Wednesday it will arrive. So that is what I did this whole morning. Exciting... Well I love you mom and thank you for all you do. I've been making pancakes on sundays. I have alittle more time then and it's really delicious. thanks. I hope you enjoy the apple sauce, I was craving it on my pancakes this week. but don't really send some, we have fresh rasberry jam that works almost as good.
love you, Elder Durfee
June 29, 2009
Dear Mom and Dad and Family,
Hello!!! The mission has been great this past week. My companion and I are really working hard together. We keep setting great goals to meet new people and how many cards we want to give out. I have given out my first Book of Mormon sometime in the past. It was really cool and it made me excited to keep working. I can’t remember if I have given out more. It is possible but I don’t remember. Dear Dad, Wonderful, I’m so glad you are getting work. That’s great to hear. Dear Mom, The mission life is good. I’m still eating good food. All the missionaries ran out of money because it is the end of the month and this is our 5th Monday. (I had $120 on my card as of this morning don’t ask me how they spend it all, the lord has blessed me.) I bought a whole bunch of groceries and good food for this week. I’m excited. If I pack my own lunch for some days Ill save up for some emergency packets. I’m excited and grateful for the ones you have been sending me. Stay happy and healthy, thanks.
Celeste and Casey, Hope you are doing great with the school, summer, pregnant, and everything else.
Joycelyn, Thankyou for you letters. Tell everyone I can't write this week because we ran out of time. But I love you all.
Katie, it has been so good up here. I hear you went to efy?!? That’s really cool, I hope you had fun.
Alden, the big milker, how are you doing? I hear you are working hard, that’s great, Keep it up.
Dayson, reading lots of books I hear? That is great , I hope you enjoy it. Dustin, well big I spy reader, Have you been having fun working hard and reading?
I love you Jaydon, Thanks for the pictures, they are wonderful. I laughed out loud with your story Katie wrote. Thanks Family you are amazing. I love you all. Bye.
Elder Durfee
Dear Dad
It is going good out here for me. I’m working hard and trying to do my best. I’m learning lots about missionary work and being in charge. My companion has left for exchanges twice now to another area. This leaves me with another elder and me as senior companion. I worked hard and the Lord helped me plan and fill our time. We have done some great things. Giving service to members and tracting for the elect. It is hard work but we can do it. We just struggle and struggle for lessons this week. We kept trying to teach new investigators and lessons to families but everyone kept canceling or not showing up. We had to eat dinner twice this last week at home. We still find food to eat but it is hard on our lesson teaching numbers. Well I love you dad and hope you are doing great. Keep up the good work. Remember put your faith first in your Heavenly Father. I love you, Elder Durfee
Dear Mom,
Something went wrong with your Cox net. It sent the emails back to me. I resent them too you. I have not moved to a new area yet. I’m still here in Fort Collins. We have transfers this upcoming Monday. Every six weeks I could be moved around. I don’t know if I’ll stay with Elder Lofgreen or not but it looks like I’ll be here. I’m glad the reunion was fun. That’s really cool you got to get a chance to take a tour. You would just love it up here. It has been beyond normally wet up here and all the plan life is thriving. We have been eating meals from the Mesers (home) garden. All sorts of good food and it is just thriving. We went on a hike of Horse Tooth Mountain today. It was really good except I lost the phone in a tight crevice on the top of the mountain. We needed something long and straight. Nothing ended up working even the shoe lace with a lope on the end didn’t work… so we are phone-less. I had to call the mission office and explain the whole thing. Kinda hard and messy work. The lady in the office laughed out loud when I told her what happened. She said to “Take some gum on the end of a stick”… she thought it was hilarious. They are overnighting a new phone to us. Sometime tomorrow or Wednesday it will arrive. So that is what I did this whole morning. Exciting... Well I love you mom and thank you for all you do. I've been making pancakes on sundays. I have alittle more time then and it's really delicious. thanks. I hope you enjoy the apple sauce, I was craving it on my pancakes this week. but don't really send some, we have fresh rasberry jam that works almost as good.
love you, Elder Durfee
June 29, 2009
Dear Mom and Dad and Family,
Hello!!! The mission has been great this past week. My companion and I are really working hard together. We keep setting great goals to meet new people and how many cards we want to give out. I have given out my first Book of Mormon sometime in the past. It was really cool and it made me excited to keep working. I can’t remember if I have given out more. It is possible but I don’t remember. Dear Dad, Wonderful, I’m so glad you are getting work. That’s great to hear. Dear Mom, The mission life is good. I’m still eating good food. All the missionaries ran out of money because it is the end of the month and this is our 5th Monday. (I had $120 on my card as of this morning don’t ask me how they spend it all, the lord has blessed me.) I bought a whole bunch of groceries and good food for this week. I’m excited. If I pack my own lunch for some days Ill save up for some emergency packets. I’m excited and grateful for the ones you have been sending me. Stay happy and healthy, thanks.
Celeste and Casey, Hope you are doing great with the school, summer, pregnant, and everything else.
Joycelyn, Thankyou for you letters. Tell everyone I can't write this week because we ran out of time. But I love you all.
Katie, it has been so good up here. I hear you went to efy?!? That’s really cool, I hope you had fun.
Alden, the big milker, how are you doing? I hear you are working hard, that’s great, Keep it up.
Dayson, reading lots of books I hear? That is great , I hope you enjoy it. Dustin, well big I spy reader, Have you been having fun working hard and reading?
I love you Jaydon, Thanks for the pictures, they are wonderful. I laughed out loud with your story Katie wrote. Thanks Family you are amazing. I love you all. Bye.
Elder Durfee
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