Mom and Dad-
What's up players? Well nothing really that new going on here, but just 20 hours of tracting. We beat the mission in that we are working hard. We are trying so hard to find people to teach so you could pray for that. That would be way cool. Nothing really new, but I did watch a softball tournament this weekend and talked to a lot of people. We found out that it works a lot better than knocking doors. At the park, we talked to 5 less actives and 160 people and we got more people than we did all week long. How are things going back home and anything new going on that I should know about? I hope that you had a good birthday and that you got what you wanted. I have to go, so love you a lot and I miss you guys. Have a good week.
Love,
Elder Rice
Monday, June 14, 2010
Well, today is P-day. I can’t believe it is already P-day. It is going so well; I love being out here. Today we went and played some basketball and my team won 9 straight games before losing. After basketball, we went home and did laundry and our letters home. Then we went out with Elder Jorgenson and went around town. That was a lot of fun, but we had to go email home and I always love talking to my parents about things that are going on. Then we had a dinner that was so good. I don’t know why, maybe because it was easy ant that’s the best kind of dinner. Dinner was with sister Lecy and she is less active. Her son just came back off his mission like 2 0r 3 weeks ago, I can’t remember. Then we just went home and planned for the next day and now that P-Day is over, time to go to WORK!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Well, today was a fun day. We started out the day by going to DDM and that was good. The training went really well. It was way good, but then after that we watched a movie for one of our lessons today. It was about the temple and important they are. I have never seen this movie. Then we went home for lunch and then went out tracting and then I had a return appointment with a lady that had questions, but she was not interested at all. Then we went over to Dave H.’s house to read with him and he has been way sick a lot of the times we try to come over. Then we went to the Sebolds and taught them which it is talking to a brick wall. Nothing really happens. They are less actives and don’t care about church. Then we took dinner and that was our day, nothing really happened, but it was a good day.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Well today was a good day. I really liked it. We started out going tracting and that was such a long street, but we talked to a lot of people. Then we went back home for lunch and ate really quick and then went and saw some less actives. Then we went to dinner and had a good dinner. After that, we went and read with Shawnie and that went really well. It was a lot of fun. Then we went home for the night and then went to bed.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Well today was not a good day at all. We did nothing good. No one was out, so in the morning we had weekly planning and that was way fin. It really worked out good. Today we worked really hard on it and got lessons for next week, so that is good. So, we are not tracting all that much, but then we went out to lunch with the other Elders, like we always do. This time we took a longer lunch than what we should have because no one was home or wanted to talk to us, which is never good. Then we went and saw less actives and got to hear about the finals. I guess the Lakers won again, but that was my day.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Today was a good day. We talked to a lot of people. We started out with our studies. I had such a good personal study. I read about David and Goliath. It was so good. I know that I love that story; it is always a good story. Then we went out and tracted for 4 hours and nothing really happened. That was not that fun, but then we went to go take lunch. Then we went back out and saw less actives and we went and rode the bikes around. It was a lot of fun and then we went and took them back. Then we went and watched some softball games to talk to people. Then we stayed there and talked to 124 people, which is a lot. After that we went home and planned for tomorrow. Now it is bed time.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Well, today was a fun day. I got a lot of work done today and I had a really good study. Today we went over to the Arnolds and did the paper for the meeting, but we didn’t need it anyways. Then we went to the park and talked to people. There is a softball tournament going on, so we talked to like a whole bunch of people. After that we went home for lunch. Then we went back to the Arnolds to get our bikes, but then we got to talking. When we got done, we had to go meet out team up and we went and saw some less-actives. That went really well and then we went and invited some of our investigators out to church. I hope they come, but then we went home. I was pooped. I went to bed right after planning, but tomorrow is the best day of the week—Sunday.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Well, today is Sunday and Fathers Day. I totally forgot to say Happy Father’s Day, but I will in email tomorrow. Today we went to Church and it was good. We had a talk on Fathers. It was way good. Then we went to a park and talked to people that were watching softball. That was a lot of fun. Then we had dinner. It was a lot of fun and was a long dinner, but a good dinner. Then we went around to some less actives and gave them things for Father’s Day. That was our day and then we came home and go ready for P-Day.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Letter from one of his Ward members
I am not going to use the name of the people that sent this--I don't want to embarass them or offend them because I have not asked them if it would be all right. I just wanted to put it up so that family and friends could read it--it was such a nice letter.
Dear Sister Rice,
I have worried your son about asking for your address. I'm unsure why he would think negatively about my wanting to write you a short note. But honestly I didn't answer when he asked WHY? Anyway, I was thinking that I wanted to tell you what a glorious young man you have for a son and great missionary who has a strong testimony and is willing to be uncomfortable when trying to get people to listen about Christ and his plan for us. I am a diabetic just like him and he has shared a lot of neat stuff with me & I have done things different because of his ideas. It's his choice how he chooses to deal with this disease. We are all learning every day to be better or not. He wants to be here and tries hard not to make it difficult for others because of this illness. We as a ward are blessed to be able to have him. Thank you for all of your love and support you give all the time. We feel ver blessed to have him. We hope he stays as long as Elder Yarn.
Best wishes.
Dear Sister Rice,
I have worried your son about asking for your address. I'm unsure why he would think negatively about my wanting to write you a short note. But honestly I didn't answer when he asked WHY? Anyway, I was thinking that I wanted to tell you what a glorious young man you have for a son and great missionary who has a strong testimony and is willing to be uncomfortable when trying to get people to listen about Christ and his plan for us. I am a diabetic just like him and he has shared a lot of neat stuff with me & I have done things different because of his ideas. It's his choice how he chooses to deal with this disease. We are all learning every day to be better or not. He wants to be here and tries hard not to make it difficult for others because of this illness. We as a ward are blessed to be able to have him. Thank you for all of your love and support you give all the time. We feel ver blessed to have him. We hope he stays as long as Elder Yarn.
Best wishes.
June 15, 2010
Dear Mom and Dad,
Hey, what's up? Anything new going on? Well today is P-day again and I played ball today. Me an my team won 9 in a row before losing. It was a lot of fun, but this week has gone by so fast. I can't believe it!
I wanted to tell mom happy birthday because I won't be able to send a letter before your birthday, mom. Thanks for all that you do for me and the family. I's so grateful to have a mom like you. You are and always will be my mom and I am so very grateful for the things you do for me and you put up with me and dad's smack talk. We just love you so much and I hope you have a good birthday and I will remember you.
Love you and have a good week. Love you all,
Your Elder,
Elder Rice
Monday, June 6, 2010
Well, today was P-day. I had such a lot of fun. Since it was P-day, we started out by getting up and doing our wash and our letters home. Then we went to the Jackson building to play some B-ball, which no one came so we played 3 on 3 and I dropped like 4 threes in a row. It was so cool, but after all that we finally had people to play with. We played until noon and then we played ultimate, which was a lot of fun. After that we went home and showered up and got ready for the night and just chilled out and had a good time. Then we went and emailed. I’m really sad because my best friends don’t want to write me anymore, but I guess that’s up to them. My family is doing really well. They are having fun and working hard, which is good. Then we went to the McKell’s for dinner, which was really good. After that we went and washed our car because it is dirty. That was our day—got a lot done. P-days just seem to go by way too fast.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Well, today was a very good day. I really liked today and we did some really hard work, which was good. It was a long, really long, day. We started out the day by going to DDM and it was so good. The spirit was so strong in this meeting. We talked about the hard times and how to get through them. After that we went home and had lunch and it was really good to just go home and think about what’s going on. After that great DDM, but then lunch was over and it was time to get to work. We did 4 hours of tracting, which was not a lot of fun at all; because no one wanted to talk to us so there were a lot of slamming doors. It’s OK because we talked to 60 people so that was good, I guess. Then it was dinner time and I just needed to cool off, it was so hot. Then we had 2 lessons that went really well and I hope they felt the spirit, because I know I did. All around it was a really good day.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Well, today was a lot of fun. I really liked it. We started out by going and helping some people with service with some shower doors. After that we went out and went tracting for an hour. This one guy was so funny to talk to. He had like a Texas accent—it was so funny. We did that for about an hour, and then went to eat with the zone because one missionary is going home. So we went and said good bye to him, and then after that we went back out tracting. One of the last doors we knocked on someone had an Oregon license plate and I asked where they were from. They said Roseburg, and I said, “Do you know the Toveys?” The girl stood up and said that she had dated Andy and I was like, “Oh my goodness that is my cousin!” They took pictures of me and sent them to Andy and Jay. That was so fun, but after that we had dinner. Then we went and saw some less actives and then had a lesson with Shawnie. We asked her to be baptized and she said no, but that’s OK. It will happen, I know it will. Then we went home and had to clean our home share for President’s interviews tomorrow, but that was my day. It was a lot of fun times.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Today was a really hard day. It was not easy to be able to work today, but today was President Interviews. It was nice to talk to President. We talked about my release date and I need to do some thinking on that. Then we had an appointment that dropped us, but that’s OK, I guess. Then we stayed out and went tracting and didn’t talk to many people. Then we went back to do personal studies and lunch, then weekly planning. It was one of those days that you don’t want to really go out all that much, but we did weekly planning and then went and saw some less actives. One really didn’t want to see us at all. Then we went to dinner with the Palmers and they are so nice to us. I love that family. Then we went and tried to see the Caliva family, and they don’t want us to come around. Then we went to the Arnolds and talked to them for a really long time about the ward mission plan and other things. Then we came home and found out that one of the missionaries had to go home for a little bit. I hope he comes back out. That was my day.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Well, today was such a good day. I loved it. We started out the day by going tracting, which was very long and tiring. We talked to a lot of people and it was a lot of fun because people were really nice to us. By the time we got done, it was like 2:30 and we started at 11:30, so it was long. Then we went home and I got a letter from Brooke. It’s about time. After that we went to the park and we just happened to have a glove and a baseball, so we threw the baseball around for a long time and talked to people that were at the games. We talked to about 85 people, so it has been a really good day. Then we took dinner, that was so good to just go home and take a nap. Then we had to go on exchanges again, so I had to go drop off Elder Yarn and go get Elder Bosteos. Then we came home and hung out a little bit and talked. That’s about it and tomorrow should be a lot of fun.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Today was a good day. I really liked it. We had a lot of fun. I was on exchanges and we had a lot of fun. We started out by going to the Fishers home to see what time dinner will be. Then we went and filled out the paper for meetings tomorrow at the Arnolds home and we were there for a long time. Then they asked if we would like to go out to eat with them and that took like 2 hours. Then we went to the park and talked to people and I OYM a whole family reunion. There were 130 people there. It was so cool. I tracted only like 1 hour and 30 minutes and that was good, unlike our normal 3 to 4 hours. Then we went over to the Kennedys and we talked for awhile. Then we went to dinner and it was with the Fishers and they fed us so well. After dinner we watched the Mountain of the Lord. It is such a good movie. I love it. That was my day.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Today is Sunday, which has to be the funnest time because I love this ward so much. It is so much fun, but so we had morning meeting that went really well. That was a lot of fun, I guess. Then I found out that I will be giving a talk on the 11th of July, so that should be a lot of fun. Then after church, we went home and took our Sunday afternoon naps that we love so much. Then we went out and talked to some people that we need to talk to and that was a lot of fun. Then we had dinner and that went really good. We had fish that was so good, I couldn’t believe it. Then we had Stake Priesthood meeting and that was way cool to go and see what they talk about, which the talks were way good. Then we went home and played church music and Disney music, like every Sunday. That was my Sunday.
Hey, what's up? Anything new going on? Well today is P-day again and I played ball today. Me an my team won 9 in a row before losing. It was a lot of fun, but this week has gone by so fast. I can't believe it!
I wanted to tell mom happy birthday because I won't be able to send a letter before your birthday, mom. Thanks for all that you do for me and the family. I's so grateful to have a mom like you. You are and always will be my mom and I am so very grateful for the things you do for me and you put up with me and dad's smack talk. We just love you so much and I hope you have a good birthday and I will remember you.
Love you and have a good week. Love you all,
Your Elder,
Elder Rice
Monday, June 6, 2010
Well, today was P-day. I had such a lot of fun. Since it was P-day, we started out by getting up and doing our wash and our letters home. Then we went to the Jackson building to play some B-ball, which no one came so we played 3 on 3 and I dropped like 4 threes in a row. It was so cool, but after all that we finally had people to play with. We played until noon and then we played ultimate, which was a lot of fun. After that we went home and showered up and got ready for the night and just chilled out and had a good time. Then we went and emailed. I’m really sad because my best friends don’t want to write me anymore, but I guess that’s up to them. My family is doing really well. They are having fun and working hard, which is good. Then we went to the McKell’s for dinner, which was really good. After that we went and washed our car because it is dirty. That was our day—got a lot done. P-days just seem to go by way too fast.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Well, today was a very good day. I really liked today and we did some really hard work, which was good. It was a long, really long, day. We started out the day by going to DDM and it was so good. The spirit was so strong in this meeting. We talked about the hard times and how to get through them. After that we went home and had lunch and it was really good to just go home and think about what’s going on. After that great DDM, but then lunch was over and it was time to get to work. We did 4 hours of tracting, which was not a lot of fun at all; because no one wanted to talk to us so there were a lot of slamming doors. It’s OK because we talked to 60 people so that was good, I guess. Then it was dinner time and I just needed to cool off, it was so hot. Then we had 2 lessons that went really well and I hope they felt the spirit, because I know I did. All around it was a really good day.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Well, today was a lot of fun. I really liked it. We started out by going and helping some people with service with some shower doors. After that we went out and went tracting for an hour. This one guy was so funny to talk to. He had like a Texas accent—it was so funny. We did that for about an hour, and then went to eat with the zone because one missionary is going home. So we went and said good bye to him, and then after that we went back out tracting. One of the last doors we knocked on someone had an Oregon license plate and I asked where they were from. They said Roseburg, and I said, “Do you know the Toveys?” The girl stood up and said that she had dated Andy and I was like, “Oh my goodness that is my cousin!” They took pictures of me and sent them to Andy and Jay. That was so fun, but after that we had dinner. Then we went and saw some less actives and then had a lesson with Shawnie. We asked her to be baptized and she said no, but that’s OK. It will happen, I know it will. Then we went home and had to clean our home share for President’s interviews tomorrow, but that was my day. It was a lot of fun times.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Today was a really hard day. It was not easy to be able to work today, but today was President Interviews. It was nice to talk to President. We talked about my release date and I need to do some thinking on that. Then we had an appointment that dropped us, but that’s OK, I guess. Then we stayed out and went tracting and didn’t talk to many people. Then we went back to do personal studies and lunch, then weekly planning. It was one of those days that you don’t want to really go out all that much, but we did weekly planning and then went and saw some less actives. One really didn’t want to see us at all. Then we went to dinner with the Palmers and they are so nice to us. I love that family. Then we went and tried to see the Caliva family, and they don’t want us to come around. Then we went to the Arnolds and talked to them for a really long time about the ward mission plan and other things. Then we came home and found out that one of the missionaries had to go home for a little bit. I hope he comes back out. That was my day.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Well, today was such a good day. I loved it. We started out the day by going tracting, which was very long and tiring. We talked to a lot of people and it was a lot of fun because people were really nice to us. By the time we got done, it was like 2:30 and we started at 11:30, so it was long. Then we went home and I got a letter from Brooke. It’s about time. After that we went to the park and we just happened to have a glove and a baseball, so we threw the baseball around for a long time and talked to people that were at the games. We talked to about 85 people, so it has been a really good day. Then we took dinner, that was so good to just go home and take a nap. Then we had to go on exchanges again, so I had to go drop off Elder Yarn and go get Elder Bosteos. Then we came home and hung out a little bit and talked. That’s about it and tomorrow should be a lot of fun.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Today was a good day. I really liked it. We had a lot of fun. I was on exchanges and we had a lot of fun. We started out by going to the Fishers home to see what time dinner will be. Then we went and filled out the paper for meetings tomorrow at the Arnolds home and we were there for a long time. Then they asked if we would like to go out to eat with them and that took like 2 hours. Then we went to the park and talked to people and I OYM a whole family reunion. There were 130 people there. It was so cool. I tracted only like 1 hour and 30 minutes and that was good, unlike our normal 3 to 4 hours. Then we went over to the Kennedys and we talked for awhile. Then we went to dinner and it was with the Fishers and they fed us so well. After dinner we watched the Mountain of the Lord. It is such a good movie. I love it. That was my day.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Today is Sunday, which has to be the funnest time because I love this ward so much. It is so much fun, but so we had morning meeting that went really well. That was a lot of fun, I guess. Then I found out that I will be giving a talk on the 11th of July, so that should be a lot of fun. Then after church, we went home and took our Sunday afternoon naps that we love so much. Then we went out and talked to some people that we need to talk to and that was a lot of fun. Then we had dinner and that went really good. We had fish that was so good, I couldn’t believe it. Then we had Stake Priesthood meeting and that was way cool to go and see what they talk about, which the talks were way good. Then we went home and played church music and Disney music, like every Sunday. That was my Sunday.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Latest on Elder Rice's Football team and the movie!
(PRNewsChannel) / June 07, 2010 / IDAHO FALLS, Idaho / Here Coach Darin Owens of Hillcrest High School is already a miracle worker and a hero to so many students and their parents, but soon the world will know how Coach Owens turned a team on a 24-game losing streak into state champions. That extraordinary story caught the attention of Hollywood and it will be turned into a movie for the big screen.
“This is an incredible story that will resonate anywhere. Anyone who loves football and a beating-the-odds story will love this one,” says Glenn Selig, who represents Owens and is founder of The Publicity Agency.
The film from Lightwave Entertainment, which has just begun the script development phase, will chronicle Owens’ life, career and coaching philosophy and focus on how Owens’ dedication led the Hillcrest High varsity team to pull off its first state championship in such an uncanny fashion.
When Owens took over as coach in 2008, the Hillcrest Knights had lost two dozen consecutive games. The team managed to score only a total of three touchdowns the entire 2007 season.
Prior to arriving at Hillcrest, Owens coached at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, Calif. where he turned that team around. He then turned around Northgate High School’s football program in Walnut Creek in 2007. Owens’ coaching efforts reversed the team's 13-game losing streak.
"What Coach Owens accomplished here in Idaho he had done twice before in California," said Charles Shackett, Bonneville Joint School District No. 93 Superintendent, in a recent email to staff. "At the time of that success, there was speculation on a book or movie, so I suppose with what he has accomplished here, it sealed the deal."
Selig says the fact that this is the third time Owens has managed to take a team from last to first makes the coach’s incredible story stand out from Hollywood’s other football classics like Friday Night Lights, Remember the Titans and Varsity Blues.
Lightwave expects to begin production on the film later this year.
(PRNewsChannel) / June 07, 2010 / IDAHO FALLS, Idaho / Here Coach Darin Owens of Hillcrest High School is already a miracle worker and a hero to so many students and their parents, but soon the world will know how Coach Owens turned a team on a 24-game losing streak into state champions. That extraordinary story caught the attention of Hollywood and it will be turned into a movie for the big screen.
“This is an incredible story that will resonate anywhere. Anyone who loves football and a beating-the-odds story will love this one,” says Glenn Selig, who represents Owens and is founder of The Publicity Agency.
The film from Lightwave Entertainment, which has just begun the script development phase, will chronicle Owens’ life, career and coaching philosophy and focus on how Owens’ dedication led the Hillcrest High varsity team to pull off its first state championship in such an uncanny fashion.
When Owens took over as coach in 2008, the Hillcrest Knights had lost two dozen consecutive games. The team managed to score only a total of three touchdowns the entire 2007 season.
Prior to arriving at Hillcrest, Owens coached at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, Calif. where he turned that team around. He then turned around Northgate High School’s football program in Walnut Creek in 2007. Owens’ coaching efforts reversed the team's 13-game losing streak.
"What Coach Owens accomplished here in Idaho he had done twice before in California," said Charles Shackett, Bonneville Joint School District No. 93 Superintendent, in a recent email to staff. "At the time of that success, there was speculation on a book or movie, so I suppose with what he has accomplished here, it sealed the deal."
Selig says the fact that this is the third time Owens has managed to take a team from last to first makes the coach’s incredible story stand out from Hollywood’s other football classics like Friday Night Lights, Remember the Titans and Varsity Blues.
Lightwave expects to begin production on the film later this year.
Friday, June 11, 2010
June 7, 2010
Dear Mom and Dad,
How are things going back home and anything really that new going on or what? Well nothing really new here, just that it is getting so HOT here, it's not funny, but I'm in a car so that is nice. After the sun goes down, it cools off. If you really want to, you can just put these up on my blog. Everything is going really well. I hope Shawnie gets dipped soon, but we will see about that. I know she knows it is true.
Mom, I will answer your questions to start out:
Who writes me?? Only you and grandma. So, only you guys really.
Right now I am not in Babylon, I'm in the Mountains of Ephraim to dwell , so I don't know. (I asked him how long he thinks he will be in Riverside)
I also asked if there were any other people we should pray for--he answered Shawnie.
Yes, I have been taking a lot of pictures.
They have been feeding me the same kind of food as before, but a lot more fruit and avocados--man are they good!
My Dad (that is what they call their trainer in Elder lingo) flies home on the 29th of June, so he is getting ready to go home and I got to meet my brother--that means that Jorgenson trained two boys (me and another one), so the first one he trained is my older brother.
I asked him when the other Elder that went to Hillcrest goes home and he said--January, not sure when, but some time in January.
But there you go. I hope everything goes well for you guys and that you have another great week. Write me please and you too Dad!
Love,
Elder Rice
Here are his journal pages for this week. He is going to send them home each week so that I can put them on his blog and keep them for him:
5/31/10 Monday Memorial Day
Well, today was a good day. It was a lot of fun. I got to go on a hike with Jorgenson. That was a lot of fun for me. I always love that kid! He is the coolest. We also had lunch after that. It was so good, oh my goodness I couldn’t believe it. After that we went to the Jackson building and we played some B-Ball and it was so good to play B-Ball with all the other people and Elders. After B-Ball we went to the mall and it was so much fun. We just walked around and looked in stores, but there was nothing that cool there. It is a big mall. Then we went over to the Carr’s house for a party, and then we had dinner with the Kassy family and she is the Relief Society President. She is so nice. After that we went over to Dave Fisher’s house and just helped with some service and that is my day. It was a really good day.
6/1/10 Tuesday
Well, today was a lot of fun. Got a lot done, but we started out by going to DDM and that went really well. We talked about prayer and how important it is. We read Alma 34:17-28 and it is talking about prayer. Then after that, we went and had lunch and then emailed home. It was so cool because the football story of my high school is going to be made into a movie! That is so cool, I can’t believe that is going to really happen. I’m so happy about that. It will be so cool. After that we went out and went tracting and we talked to a whole lot of people that took like two hours out of the day. When we got done, we went and saw the Roches. They have two sons that are not active, so we are trying to get them back out and active. Then we went to dinner at the Jobs and then we went and taught two lessons that went really good. Shawnie is doing so good and she is coming to Church this week. That was our day.
6/2/20 Wednesday
Well, today was a really long day. It was a really sad day, but a lot of work got done and I was OK. We started out by going to a funeral for one of our investigators that just died all of a sudden. The family is all less-active, besides one, and the one that is active is such a good member. When we went over to the house to give blessings, she was so happy that they can do his work in the Temple and she knows where he is. But at the funeral I read a scripture in 1 Nephi 11:17 and it was a good scripture for this family. Then they had a lunch. That went really well, but there was still a lot of crying going on. We went around talking to people asking if they had questions about things and we talked to 121 people. It was such a big party. After the party we went over to Dave Hanna’s house and read with him and talked with him. Then we went to dinner and talked for a long time and just saw how they were doing. That is our day.
6/3/10 Thursday
Well today, was such a great day. We got a lot of work done, but we started out the day by doing our weekly planning and it went really well. We talked about what we do every week and then we go over our investigators and what we think they need or need help working on. Then we wrapped that up and went to lunch. That was really good—we went with some other Elders. We went to work and we tracted from 2:30 until 5:05. It was so long, but it was a lot of fun. We talked to 47 people. Then we had dinner with the Carr’s and they are always so funny. They are the coolest family in the world. Then we had to go and we went and saw Shawnie that is investigating the Church and she is so awesome. After that we went and Elder Yarns got some things because we are doing exchanges with our DL today until tomorrow, so that was my day. A lot happened I know.
6/4/10 Friday
Well today was a very fun day. I really liked today. I got a lot of work done, but we went tracting for the longest time. It was 4 hours of tracting and I was on exchanges with my DL and I did most of the talking because his English is not that good. That’s OK, we talked to 56 people, which is really good for here on a Friday. After that we went and had lunch and I took a little nap, but my DL did too. We were so tired. After that we had dinner and then we did another exchange that went really well. We were late to our appointments, but we did a building tower for one of our investigators that wants to come to church on Sunday, so let’s see how that goes. Then our other appointment was a daughter-in-law to one of our member families, so we taught her. The lesson was in Spanish, which was way cool. Then we changed back and then that was my night.
6/5/10 Saturday
Well today started off really well. We went to President Plokers home for breakfast and it was so good. I loved it, but then he gave a great training. He did such a great job! Then after that we went to the office to get some mail and my package, and then we went around and talked to people at garage sales again. That went so well—we got 47 people in about an hour or so. Then after that we went to lunch and hung out for an hour or so. Then we went around and set up some appointments with some less actives. We had dinner with the Dellahuntes and he is our Elder’s Quorum President and they are so nice. They love to have us over, but we talked about church stuff most of the time. It was like 8 when we got out of there, and then we went and saw the Alvarez family to set up a time to go and see them to talk to them. Our day was full of things to do and to get done.
6/6/10 Sunday
Well today was Sunday and it was so fun. We started out by going to church and that was a lot of fun because it was fast and testimony meeting and Shawnie was there and she stayed for all of church. The kids really had a lot of fun, so that was good. After Church we went home and had lunch. After lunch, we went out and worked and had a lot of people talk to us and were very nice to us. After that we had dinner with the Whitings and they are so cool—they are the nicest people in the world. Then we went over to the Arnolds and just wanted to stop in and copy the dinner calendar and we ended up staying until 8 at night. We talked about everything because she is diabetic too, so she is changing over to the pens like me and I showed her how to use them. That was our Sunday.
How are things going back home and anything really that new going on or what? Well nothing really new here, just that it is getting so HOT here, it's not funny, but I'm in a car so that is nice. After the sun goes down, it cools off. If you really want to, you can just put these up on my blog. Everything is going really well. I hope Shawnie gets dipped soon, but we will see about that. I know she knows it is true.
Mom, I will answer your questions to start out:
Who writes me?? Only you and grandma. So, only you guys really.
Right now I am not in Babylon, I'm in the Mountains of Ephraim to dwell , so I don't know. (I asked him how long he thinks he will be in Riverside)
I also asked if there were any other people we should pray for--he answered Shawnie.
Yes, I have been taking a lot of pictures.
They have been feeding me the same kind of food as before, but a lot more fruit and avocados--man are they good!
My Dad (that is what they call their trainer in Elder lingo) flies home on the 29th of June, so he is getting ready to go home and I got to meet my brother--that means that Jorgenson trained two boys (me and another one), so the first one he trained is my older brother.
I asked him when the other Elder that went to Hillcrest goes home and he said--January, not sure when, but some time in January.
But there you go. I hope everything goes well for you guys and that you have another great week. Write me please and you too Dad!
Love,
Elder Rice
Here are his journal pages for this week. He is going to send them home each week so that I can put them on his blog and keep them for him:
5/31/10 Monday Memorial Day
Well, today was a good day. It was a lot of fun. I got to go on a hike with Jorgenson. That was a lot of fun for me. I always love that kid! He is the coolest. We also had lunch after that. It was so good, oh my goodness I couldn’t believe it. After that we went to the Jackson building and we played some B-Ball and it was so good to play B-Ball with all the other people and Elders. After B-Ball we went to the mall and it was so much fun. We just walked around and looked in stores, but there was nothing that cool there. It is a big mall. Then we went over to the Carr’s house for a party, and then we had dinner with the Kassy family and she is the Relief Society President. She is so nice. After that we went over to Dave Fisher’s house and just helped with some service and that is my day. It was a really good day.
6/1/10 Tuesday
Well, today was a lot of fun. Got a lot done, but we started out by going to DDM and that went really well. We talked about prayer and how important it is. We read Alma 34:17-28 and it is talking about prayer. Then after that, we went and had lunch and then emailed home. It was so cool because the football story of my high school is going to be made into a movie! That is so cool, I can’t believe that is going to really happen. I’m so happy about that. It will be so cool. After that we went out and went tracting and we talked to a whole lot of people that took like two hours out of the day. When we got done, we went and saw the Roches. They have two sons that are not active, so we are trying to get them back out and active. Then we went to dinner at the Jobs and then we went and taught two lessons that went really good. Shawnie is doing so good and she is coming to Church this week. That was our day.
6/2/20 Wednesday
Well, today was a really long day. It was a really sad day, but a lot of work got done and I was OK. We started out by going to a funeral for one of our investigators that just died all of a sudden. The family is all less-active, besides one, and the one that is active is such a good member. When we went over to the house to give blessings, she was so happy that they can do his work in the Temple and she knows where he is. But at the funeral I read a scripture in 1 Nephi 11:17 and it was a good scripture for this family. Then they had a lunch. That went really well, but there was still a lot of crying going on. We went around talking to people asking if they had questions about things and we talked to 121 people. It was such a big party. After the party we went over to Dave Hanna’s house and read with him and talked with him. Then we went to dinner and talked for a long time and just saw how they were doing. That is our day.
6/3/10 Thursday
Well today, was such a great day. We got a lot of work done, but we started out the day by doing our weekly planning and it went really well. We talked about what we do every week and then we go over our investigators and what we think they need or need help working on. Then we wrapped that up and went to lunch. That was really good—we went with some other Elders. We went to work and we tracted from 2:30 until 5:05. It was so long, but it was a lot of fun. We talked to 47 people. Then we had dinner with the Carr’s and they are always so funny. They are the coolest family in the world. Then we had to go and we went and saw Shawnie that is investigating the Church and she is so awesome. After that we went and Elder Yarns got some things because we are doing exchanges with our DL today until tomorrow, so that was my day. A lot happened I know.
6/4/10 Friday
Well today was a very fun day. I really liked today. I got a lot of work done, but we went tracting for the longest time. It was 4 hours of tracting and I was on exchanges with my DL and I did most of the talking because his English is not that good. That’s OK, we talked to 56 people, which is really good for here on a Friday. After that we went and had lunch and I took a little nap, but my DL did too. We were so tired. After that we had dinner and then we did another exchange that went really well. We were late to our appointments, but we did a building tower for one of our investigators that wants to come to church on Sunday, so let’s see how that goes. Then our other appointment was a daughter-in-law to one of our member families, so we taught her. The lesson was in Spanish, which was way cool. Then we changed back and then that was my night.
6/5/10 Saturday
Well today started off really well. We went to President Plokers home for breakfast and it was so good. I loved it, but then he gave a great training. He did such a great job! Then after that we went to the office to get some mail and my package, and then we went around and talked to people at garage sales again. That went so well—we got 47 people in about an hour or so. Then after that we went to lunch and hung out for an hour or so. Then we went around and set up some appointments with some less actives. We had dinner with the Dellahuntes and he is our Elder’s Quorum President and they are so nice. They love to have us over, but we talked about church stuff most of the time. It was like 8 when we got out of there, and then we went and saw the Alvarez family to set up a time to go and see them to talk to them. Our day was full of things to do and to get done.
6/6/10 Sunday
Well today was Sunday and it was so fun. We started out by going to church and that was a lot of fun because it was fast and testimony meeting and Shawnie was there and she stayed for all of church. The kids really had a lot of fun, so that was good. After Church we went home and had lunch. After lunch, we went out and worked and had a lot of people talk to us and were very nice to us. After that we had dinner with the Whitings and they are so cool—they are the nicest people in the world. Then we went over to the Arnolds and just wanted to stop in and copy the dinner calendar and we ended up staying until 8 at night. We talked about everything because she is diabetic too, so she is changing over to the pens like me and I showed her how to use them. That was our Sunday.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Hiking with the other Elders and Sisters on P day. Notice his first companion, Elder Jorgenson (he goes home this month) standing in front of him to Elder Rice's left. Elder Jorgenson's ward invited them to go hiking and Elder Rice said it was lots of fun.
King(s) of the mountain--another pic of hiking on P day.
The retaining wall Elder Rice helped build one whole day. He said it was not fun!
I thought I would get these posted today after emailing with him today so I did not get behind. He is doing well and having lots of fun. He looks good and very happy. He says he LOVES being back out on his mission and is having fun.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Dear Mom and Dad,
Hey how are you guys doing? I hope things are well for you guys. Anything new for you? This week went so well. I love being back out here. I can tell you that you remember things a lot more when your blood sugar levels are not like in the 500's. Just to let you know they have been doing really well. Let's jump on into my life as a missionary...
Monday-
Well, as you guys know that is our P day and I went and played some B-Ball with the other missionaries and a whole lot of black people. They play ball really well, but not as good as Elder Rice! You know how that is. Then we had dinner, which I can't remember the families name, but that's OK because they don't have us over at all. Just this time, but that was a lot of fun.
Tuesday--
Well, we had to do our weekly meeting, which is DDM. It went really good. They changed the whole mission around and that was what the meeting was on. It went well, but after that we went to lunch at a member's house. Then we had dinner after a long day of tracting. We got to talk to a lot of people. Then we got a new investigator and she is so cool! I hope that she will understand how important this message is because she really wants to know and we are going to ask her to get baptized this week.
Wednesday--
Well, we stayed in the whole morning because I thought I was going to die (he was sick--sore throat, fever, etc.). Then we got out and tracted for like 2 hours and didn't talk to many people. It was not fun, but that's OK. Then we had dinner. After that we went and saw less actives and talked to this one lady that reminded me of Austin Powers, the movie--but the bad guy. They even had a cat just like him. I about died laughing!
Thursday--
Well, this was such a good day. We had Multi-Zone meetings. They were so good. I love multi-zones. It is the most fun thing and it has 2 zones there and the other one is Movall (Moreno Valley where he served before he came home), so I get to see all my old friends from there. It was so much fun. Then we had to go tracting. It was a long day of tracting. That's OK. Then we went and saw less actives and didn't see any of them. But that's OK too.
Friday--
Well, since we had a meeting on Thursday, we went and did weekly planning, which was a lot of fun. I really like it a lot. We talk about things that are going on in our area and people we are worried about, and then all of the Elders get together for lunch and just have fun. It always has to come to an end and more tracting, and that went really well too. Then we had dinner and on to Dave's house. We tried to ask him to be baptized but he said no. (He is the one Elder Rice said he would be having a heart to heart with when he went on splits this Friday, so we will see.)
Saturday--
Well Saturday we went and helped put up a retaining wall and it was so hot, but it went really good. It was like 8 feet high. It was not fun at all, but that took all day. After that we went and had dinner with the Bays and the AP's. They are teaching this girl and they asked her to be baptized. So that is cool, but then we had an appointment, but it fell through.
Sunday--
Well Sunday is so much fun. I love Sundays. We went to Church and I was looking in the program, and I was on it for the closing prayer. It was good. I love my ward here. They are so nice. After that we went around and tried to find our dinner calendar and we found it at like 8:00. It was so nice to find it, and that was my Sunday.
But that is my week. I love being out here. It is a lot of fun! I am going to change it up--I am going to send you my journal entries each week and will you type them up and keep them for me? Then you can use them for my blog. I love you guys so much. Have a good week, write me if you can.
Love,
Elder Rice
Hey how are you guys doing? I hope things are well for you guys. Anything new for you? This week went so well. I love being back out here. I can tell you that you remember things a lot more when your blood sugar levels are not like in the 500's. Just to let you know they have been doing really well. Let's jump on into my life as a missionary...
Monday-
Well, as you guys know that is our P day and I went and played some B-Ball with the other missionaries and a whole lot of black people. They play ball really well, but not as good as Elder Rice! You know how that is. Then we had dinner, which I can't remember the families name, but that's OK because they don't have us over at all. Just this time, but that was a lot of fun.
Tuesday--
Well, we had to do our weekly meeting, which is DDM. It went really good. They changed the whole mission around and that was what the meeting was on. It went well, but after that we went to lunch at a member's house. Then we had dinner after a long day of tracting. We got to talk to a lot of people. Then we got a new investigator and she is so cool! I hope that she will understand how important this message is because she really wants to know and we are going to ask her to get baptized this week.
Wednesday--
Well, we stayed in the whole morning because I thought I was going to die (he was sick--sore throat, fever, etc.). Then we got out and tracted for like 2 hours and didn't talk to many people. It was not fun, but that's OK. Then we had dinner. After that we went and saw less actives and talked to this one lady that reminded me of Austin Powers, the movie--but the bad guy. They even had a cat just like him. I about died laughing!
Thursday--
Well, this was such a good day. We had Multi-Zone meetings. They were so good. I love multi-zones. It is the most fun thing and it has 2 zones there and the other one is Movall (Moreno Valley where he served before he came home), so I get to see all my old friends from there. It was so much fun. Then we had to go tracting. It was a long day of tracting. That's OK. Then we went and saw less actives and didn't see any of them. But that's OK too.
Friday--
Well, since we had a meeting on Thursday, we went and did weekly planning, which was a lot of fun. I really like it a lot. We talk about things that are going on in our area and people we are worried about, and then all of the Elders get together for lunch and just have fun. It always has to come to an end and more tracting, and that went really well too. Then we had dinner and on to Dave's house. We tried to ask him to be baptized but he said no. (He is the one Elder Rice said he would be having a heart to heart with when he went on splits this Friday, so we will see.)
Saturday--
Well Saturday we went and helped put up a retaining wall and it was so hot, but it went really good. It was like 8 feet high. It was not fun at all, but that took all day. After that we went and had dinner with the Bays and the AP's. They are teaching this girl and they asked her to be baptized. So that is cool, but then we had an appointment, but it fell through.
Sunday--
Well Sunday is so much fun. I love Sundays. We went to Church and I was looking in the program, and I was on it for the closing prayer. It was good. I love my ward here. They are so nice. After that we went around and tried to find our dinner calendar and we found it at like 8:00. It was so nice to find it, and that was my Sunday.
But that is my week. I love being out here. It is a lot of fun! I am going to change it up--I am going to send you my journal entries each week and will you type them up and keep them for me? Then you can use them for my blog. I love you guys so much. Have a good week, write me if you can.
Love,
Elder Rice
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Mom and Dad,
Well nothing really happened this week, just a lot of doors slammed in our faces, but that's OK. No worries. We will be doing that this week, but I really don't know any new ways to find new people to teach. If you would send me more pictures for my planners, that would be cool. How are things at home, anything really that new going on at home? I hope everything is going good. We had this guy that we talked to, but he followed us around and said that we were Satan's Church. He wouldn't leave us alone, but Elder Yorn pulled me away because he kept saying things about Joseph Smith and I was getting mad. Elder Yorn keeps me in line because there are a lot of people that don't like us at all. Well I have to go, but I love you and miss you a ton. Have a good week and I love you.
Love,
Elder Rice
Some updates from emailing today, June 1, 2010
When I asked him how he felt about his mission, especially since he is in a more affluent area and people do not seem to need religion or do not like the church he said,
"I LOVE MY MISSION!!! I wish I would not have been sick or went home before. I LOVE BEING OUT HERE." and "Well everything is going good. I love being with my companion. We have a lot of fun together and the work is hard, but it is so good at the same time. I just hope Dave will be baptized soon. My blood sugars are going really well and they are staying right where they need to be. I am so blessed with this."
Dave is an investigator that does not want to commit to baptism at this point, so Tommy says, "I am going on splits on Friday and I'm going to go and see him and have a heart to heart with him. So pray for me on Friday, I will need it."
One last thing is that he was way excited about what we told him via email today (see below) and thought it was way cool.
Channel 8 News, May 28, 2010
“The story of the amazing football turn around at Hillcrest 2008 could be hitting the big screen in the future. Knight’s head coach, Darrin Owens, telling me that he has signed away the rights to his life story to a major motion picture company. If you remember, Owens was brought in from California to take over a team that had lost 22 in a row. Using an old school “double wing” offense, he led the Knights to an 11 and 1 season in the 4a State Championship. Owens was approached by a couple of different people about writing a book about his story. He then got an agent and now a movie deal.”
I asked him that, after his football season in his junior year (not winning any games), if he was glad that we moved to Idaho, because I am sure he might have had second thoughts his junior year when it came to football. His response was, "I know. I would have just been happy winning one game after that and if someone would have came and talked to me and said that you are going to be a state champ, I would be like ya right-get out of here. I just can't believe that!" I also asked him if he used what he mentally learned through that Championship season on his mission and he said, "Ya, I do. I try to be really happy when things like that come up (talking about the hard times)."
.JPG)
And Grandmas, if you are reading this, he says he is back up to 225 or so, which is almost football weight. He says his new suits fit him perfectly, so he is putting back on some muscle and feels really good.
Well nothing really happened this week, just a lot of doors slammed in our faces, but that's OK. No worries. We will be doing that this week, but I really don't know any new ways to find new people to teach. If you would send me more pictures for my planners, that would be cool. How are things at home, anything really that new going on at home? I hope everything is going good. We had this guy that we talked to, but he followed us around and said that we were Satan's Church. He wouldn't leave us alone, but Elder Yorn pulled me away because he kept saying things about Joseph Smith and I was getting mad. Elder Yorn keeps me in line because there are a lot of people that don't like us at all. Well I have to go, but I love you and miss you a ton. Have a good week and I love you.
Love,
Elder Rice
Some updates from emailing today, June 1, 2010
When I asked him how he felt about his mission, especially since he is in a more affluent area and people do not seem to need religion or do not like the church he said,
"I LOVE MY MISSION!!! I wish I would not have been sick or went home before. I LOVE BEING OUT HERE." and "Well everything is going good. I love being with my companion. We have a lot of fun together and the work is hard, but it is so good at the same time. I just hope Dave will be baptized soon. My blood sugars are going really well and they are staying right where they need to be. I am so blessed with this."
Dave is an investigator that does not want to commit to baptism at this point, so Tommy says, "I am going on splits on Friday and I'm going to go and see him and have a heart to heart with him. So pray for me on Friday, I will need it."
One last thing is that he was way excited about what we told him via email today (see below) and thought it was way cool.
Channel 8 News, May 28, 2010
“The story of the amazing football turn around at Hillcrest 2008 could be hitting the big screen in the future. Knight’s head coach, Darrin Owens, telling me that he has signed away the rights to his life story to a major motion picture company. If you remember, Owens was brought in from California to take over a team that had lost 22 in a row. Using an old school “double wing” offense, he led the Knights to an 11 and 1 season in the 4a State Championship. Owens was approached by a couple of different people about writing a book about his story. He then got an agent and now a movie deal.”
I asked him that, after his football season in his junior year (not winning any games), if he was glad that we moved to Idaho, because I am sure he might have had second thoughts his junior year when it came to football. His response was, "I know. I would have just been happy winning one game after that and if someone would have came and talked to me and said that you are going to be a state champ, I would be like ya right-get out of here. I just can't believe that!" I also asked him if he used what he mentally learned through that Championship season on his mission and he said, "Ya, I do. I try to be really happy when things like that come up (talking about the hard times)."
Tommy (#51) holding up the Championship trohpy--he didn't want to let go!
.JPG)
Moments like these are what movies are made of!!!!!
Tommy still holding the trophy (2nd row from bottom, just right of center of picture)
And Grandmas, if you are reading this, he says he is back up to 225 or so, which is almost football weight. He says his new suits fit him perfectly, so he is putting back on some muscle and feels really good.
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