Elder Ettinger: MIA

haha, so im sure you all are wondering what the heck happend to Elder Ames Ettinger!

Well, I got transferred... Not a huge fan of leaving Picture Rocks and the Marana area, but the new place will be good as well.

Im now serving in the Sierra Vista 5th ward, from what i have heard and been told, it is the best ward in the entire mission for missionary work, what a blessing to be working here.

My new companion? None other than Elder Todd Ranger from St.George Utah! haha. If the name doesnt ring a bell to you (Im not sure why it should) but we went to high school with each other until the boundary change. ha it was pretty funny when i got the transfer call and found out that i was going to be serving with him. Its really fun at dinner appointments when i say that im from St. George and the members are like "Elder Ranger thats where you are from, did you guys know each other?" pretty funny stuff. Gotta love the small world connections.

The only down side of the new area is that it is a full bike area... My first night on the bike it snowed and hailed on us.. not like a ton but it was still really upsetting that i wasnt in my warm car... I have gotten my butt kicked the last few days. man am i out of shape! I feel like such a loser. Super excited to be here though.

 Not a whole lot else going on right now, im not sure who anyone is or what we are really doing in the area yet, i should have some more to up date on this next week.

Talk to you all soon!

Love you!

Elder Ettinger

Ps 20 years old next month.. Crazy. no more teenagers in this family!

A little dental work

Stamp collecting anyone?

Happy Valentine's - Kyle 2/13/12

hello Family,

 

Happy Valentines!

 

Thanks mom for sending the package of goodies! everything in it was very delicious!
My companion and roommates were complimenting the heart cookies. So thanks for that! Getting packages as a missionary is the best thing ever!

 

This past week we got shafted! and weren't able to teach any lessons! it seemed like we were always busy! but didn't really get anything accomplished. I have a couple fun pictures to show everyone of our p-day last Monday.

 

Sounds like everyone is doing well back at home! i pray for the family everyday!! I got thinkin, its crazy that ames and i will be 20 years old in just a little bit!! time sure flies! Remember when we would always be out in the ditch digging tunnels with brittan sevy? Man good times!!

 

So i have found another connection in my ward to the ward back at home. So you know the zockels in our ward at home? tony and debbie??... They are cousins to a ward member here in rialto 1st!! yet another connection! this is becoming like a weekly thing ha!

 

Not a whole lot is going on, both my comp and i are staying together in the same ward for next transfer. Which was sort of a givin since its a two transfer training program. i hope everyone is having a good time! and being safe!

 

Thanks for all that you do! sorry this is shortish and random. i hope to get this ward picking up next transfer. So we shall see what goes down.

 

Have fun! Love, Elder Kyle Ettinger

P-day fun

Back row:  Elders Shultz, Bindrup, Bevan and Ettinger
Front row: Elders Twede and Roucshe

Kyle - 2/8/12

Hello Family!

 

So i can't believe another week has gone by! its so crazy! WE only have 6 more days in this transfer!!

Today is our P-day, we were able to go to the temple this morning. I didn't do the session, but i was able to do some initiatory work, AND my very favorite part, be a witness and son in quite a few sealings! it was such a great experience! i learned alot from it!! and it only gets me way stoked for when i will eventually go for myself!!

 

This past week has been pretty slow and not very exciting, like most of the weeks here in rialto ha!

Being a District leader i am able to do baptismal interviews for investigators. I was able to do one for our zone leaders yesterday. And i may have about 4 more next transfer to do for our district memebers.

 

Sounds like everyone is doing well back at home! Thats crazy that maren is going all over the country! Dad, keep up the good work doing those nice long bike rides! I wanna do some long rides to try and lose some weight sometime soon. If i can find the time.

 

So something way cool happened, My roommate Elder Kunzelman, who you have seen pictures of before, is a freakin movie star!! ha! Kinda! when he was 9 years old, he was put into a sub-main Character position in a movie called "Little Secrets" its a way corny funny movie.

I got a picture with elder Laulusa, my ward mate, who is ames's bishops nephew. I will post it next monday, since i dont have my camera on me right now.

 

Thats cool that ames was able to see pictures of me, via elder palmers pictures ha! its such a small world here in the mission! i'm having so much fun!

 

Thats about all thats going on for me right now!

Hope everyone has a great week! and i'll be emailing again in a few days!

Later!

love, Elder Kyle Ettinger

 

Ames 2/6/12

Sounds like you all are having a great time back at home. Marens trip sounded super awesome! and Dad im not quite sure how you can ride a bike for 97 miles! thats nuts!

This week for us was a pretty lame one. Every single lesson this week fell through... Every one! What rotten luck. So not a whole lot to report on this week.

We did get to go to the temple. Love that place so much! I Learn more and more every time i go. Its so much fun. Also while i was there I got to stop by some of the members i got really close with while i was in the Gila. I stopped by Brother Palmers Seminary Office and he said he had gotten lots of pictures from his brother in San Bernardino, and guess who was all over them! thats right, our own Elder Kyle Ettinger. I thought that was pretty cool. It was fun to see the old friends from there but i dont think that i would want to serve there again, the missionary work is lacking super bad right now.

Transfers are coming up this next week! its crazy that time just flies by. I have been with Elder Staley for 3 months! and it feels like we just got together. Im not sure how transfers are going to go. Either Elder Staley or myself could go. So we will see next week and you will find out tuesday!

I filled up my fist mempry card this week. So ill be sending that home soon to be emptyed. Also, the memory card you sent me in the MTC has pictures from home on it, so im going to send it home as well and you can upload those on their own and then send it back too. or just keep it cuz i have another one as well. I will also send home my old camera that doesnt have a lens in it. and ill get a new part for it when i get home.

Cool Story for this week:

On Wednesday we were out on splits with our ward mission leader, and we went to visit a less active family. We were lucky to catch the mom and daughter in the driveway on their way to cheer practice. Well we talked for just a few minutes and the mom was obviously trying to get rid of us so she could leave and you could tell she had no interest in the church. We asked her if there was a time that we could come sit down with them and get to know them and she pulled the "Whats your number we will call you" card.. not too promissing. So i gave her a Card with our number and the Ward Mission Leaders on it and we left. About 20 minutes later, I get a phone call from a number i dont have in the phone, Its the mom. and she proceeds to tell us how after getting in the car the daugher asked the mom if she would take her to check out that mormon church again. so the mom was calling to get the time that we met for sacrament meeting. Pretty awesome. We didnt see them yesterday at church but we are going to continue working with them. Super Awesome.

Love the work!

Love you all!

God Speed!

Elder Ettinger

It's a small world!

These photos are of Kyle and Elder Laulusa.  Elder Laulusa is the nephew of Ames's bishop in Tucson.

Elder Laulusa and Elder Ettinger at the temple

Elders Ettinger and Laulusa being funny at a sushi restaurant

Photos from Ames 1/30/12

Temple Week! Ames 1/30/12

So today isnt a normal P-Day, becasue we get to go to the temple this week! im super excited. I havent gotten to go since August! Five Months. So im ready to go again. So our "Pday" is on thursday but we were able to email and shop today because we arnt expected to starve until then :D so that will be super fun, im also excited to go bcak to the Gila Valley, that should be fun.

Some sad news this week, the ______ Girls (I think i have told you about them?) moved up to Phenox this week. that was a bummer. We were able to get really close to them, I call them my adopted family. They were telling us about their new ward and the missionaries that cover it and stuff, so it should be a good transition for them. We will miss them though.

Better news though, WE SET A BAPISIMAL DATE! boo-ya! We taught this kid on sunday for the first time and he accepted a date. so that was super duper exciting. He is at his grandparents house on the weekends who are members of our ward. He has been coming to church for like 4 or 5 times and agreed to meet with us this last week. So that is super awesome. ill keep you updated on that.

Random Question. Is that shell that i got from Catalina still sitting in the back yard? Just curious.

Glad to hear that marens interview went well. Thats super cool. We were down in Tucson today and on the way back we chose to drive the way home that would take us through U of A, I was hoping to see Sarah walking down the road but i didnt =/ it made me miss college life though, that was so much fun.

The Mission is fun too though.

OH! also this last saturday, we helped  move some people in another ward, . . . .  ICK! Both Elder Staley and myself went home and took showers afterwards. I wish sneaked some pictures because i dont think im going to be forgeting that very soon. 

Well, Thats all for this week. I hope this next one is a good one for everyone!

Love you all!

Elder Ettinger.

 

Kyle 1/30/12

Hey Family,

 

This email is going to be pretty short, because we did a bunch of service this morning. We went in to Glen helen Park, where we met that pioneer lady from the very first day of my mission in california. And i was able to get my hands on a shovel and rake again! i felt so at home! ha i still have some really mad skills on using a leaf rake to get grass and weeds out of the dirt. I call it "Tossin the salad" I'm sure this may not make sense to anyone, but i could show you when i get home, and it'll make more sense.

 

This past week my companion and i decided to try and make tracting more fun, by having the other person choose a word that we HAVE to use in our door approaches. For example. I gave my companion the words, Chocolate chip cookie, grass, milk, and surgery. It really changes things up and makes it alot of fun! it also helps you relate the gospel to everyday things!

 

During our service project i got an interesting call... it said "Private Number" so i answered and said hello. It ended up being the 911 disbatch!! My pocket accidently dialed 911 and the lady called me back to make sure i wasn't really in an emergency. I felt really bad ha! i remember when we were little kids, in the hotel that we got stuck in the elevator in. When ames and i called 911 on a pay phone. And aunt robin ended up getting mad at ames and i ha! Good times! gotta love the memories!

 

I'm looking forward to the next week to come! Time sure keeps flying on by! i cant believe its almost Febuary already!!

We have a temple trip on Feb 8th that will be really fun! i'm gonna try and get permission to do Baptisms for the dead. Since i havn't done those for ever!!

Hope everyone is doing well!! i'm gonna try and lose some weight!

Because i'm over___ pounds now! and not happy about it at all! 

Enjoy your week! be safe in your travels!

Love, Elder Kyle Ettinger