Week 83: Round 2

I'm just sighing right now in tiredness and many adventures. I'll just summarize what went down this week.

So pretty much after Monday we were just recovering, swapped in and out with our leaders. Had some visitors. Wednesday rolls around and we finally get discharged in the afternoon. We left Hot Springs in the evening and got back to our Apartment. Thursday, Friday, Saturday we just rested, walked a little, members helped us out with food. The Office Staff came down and visited us and helped us out a little bit on Saturday. And during all of this(Thursday-Saturday) Elder Roberts temperature is fluctuating up and down. Sunday rolls around and we actually went to Church. He survived through it but was a struggle. Come home and we talked to one of our nurse leaders and she called someone else... AND we are back here in Hot Springs. He ended up having an infection the size of a grape fruit where his appendix used to be. He's just left for procedure so I'll let y'all know how it went next week.

This has definitely been a trial of our faith and a growing testimony of knowing that God knows what he's doing. It's been hard, but it's been a blessing too. You are never alone and God will be with you every step of the way.❤️

May God be with you all, and know that I am here. I love you all!

Elder Braxton Hotton

Also, if y'all ever want to send me something, send it to this address:

905 Kierre Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72116

Attachments:
-Getting Meds at Walmart
-Elder Roberts looking at me weird(he wasn't actually)
-Me this morning

Week 82: Appendix Adventures

So you know how last week I said I'd stop screaming? Well.. That was a lie... AHHHHHHHHHH.. Ok NOW I'm done. This week was definitely something else. But, nonetheless a huge learning process. Let's get into it! 

Monday was really stressful. Got a good chunk of packing done and did a crap ton of other things. It was insane. But then after P-Day we saw a couple of other people. Said goodbye to them. Then I came in and had a great final call in with the Starkville Sisters. I enjoyed being District Leader a lot. I have grown to love more and listen more as well. It was a great blessing to have in my life.

Tuesday we got up really early (4am) and got final things ready. We loaded up the car and drove up to Booneville where I finally said Goodbye to Elder Rich. I grabbed Elder Draper and we drove up to Bartlett where I loaded up my gear and got transported to North Little Rock! When we got there, I got to see Elder Phillips and Elder Spear which was great to see them again. Then I got to see my glorious 2nd cousin of a companion Elder Roberts! Then we started figuring out a few things and also got to see Elder Ferrell again, the Elder is a legend. Afterwards we finalized a few things and got some lunch at Arbys and drove all the way down to Arkadelphia! There I got some things situated and we had a lesson with someone which was pretty good! Then we went and did some minor shopping out of the way and we went and I got to meet a member and chatted with him for a little bit, then we saw another member and visited for a minute. Then we came back home and had dinner.

Wednesday was Elder Robert's 20th Birthday! We did our studies and a some members took us to a restaurant to eat at. Afterwards President Hansen called and wished Elder Roberts a Happy Birthday. Then we had a big contacting spree and sadly we didn't see much out of it, but it was good for me to learn more about the area. Then afterwards we came to the Church building and attended Institute! It was really good and I was able to meet a lot of the members! It was a cool experience! Then we came home for the day.

Thursday we did our studies and such. And then after lunch we had another contacting spree and we again didn't see much success out of it either. It was rough. Then we had dinner with some members at a Chinese place and got to know them a little bit. Afterwards we talked about a few area things and tried visiting two people but no luck with that so then we ended the day.

Friday is where the title of the weekly starts. We had to take it a little slow because Elder Roberts Stomach was feeling too great. We did our studies and our Weekly Planning and that was pretty good. Afterwards we went and had a good lesson with someone who is close for Baptism and we talked about the interview questions to help him show that he's ready. Then we had a few calls and came back to our apartment to have Elder Roberts rest. That was pretty much the day.

Saturday is where the fun begins.. Ok fun is not the greatest word but it's ok. We took it easy again. We had some minor things to do throughout the day. I finished up my talk that I was asked to speak on for Sunday. Also had a Zone Zoom Call and that was good. Later on during the day we were trying to figure out one of our tires and Elder Roberts pain started to get a little worse. We went to the apartment and rested more. And then it got worse and we made a call and got told to go to the ER.. And now at 8pm we get to the ER, and after a while and a CT, we find out his appendix ruptured and we are going to get transferred. And during all of this I was making call.. After call... Figuring things out... After call... After call... Figuring more things out... And then we get into the ambulance and drove up to Hot Springs, got there around 11:30, and then a lot of other things happened and we didn't go to bed till 1:30 that morning.

Sunday of course we weren't at Church, so I'm probably going to speak sometime in the future. But the surgery happened in the morning. The surgeon spoke to me after and told me what went down. Apparently it was his most difficult Appendix surgery he's done. But it was a success. Then we got sent back to our room and after a little the Zone Leaders showed up and one of them took my spot while I actually went to the Hot Springs apartment and ate some food and took a fat hour and a half nap and then came back to the Hospital and did some other stuff there for the rest of the day

"Welcome back to Arkansas!" Is something I've been telling myself a lot lately. But, this has definitely been a learning process and I'm thankful I'm with him going through this. It's tiring.. I'm drained.. But I am just glad that he's doing ok. That's what is more important. Things will workout the way they need to. But yea.. I'm signing out. I love each of you. Keep smiling. And if any of you need someone to talk to.. I'm right here.

May God be with you all, and know that I am here. I love you all!

Elder Braxton Hotton

Also, if y'all ever want to send me something, send it to this address:

905 Kierre Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72116

Attachments:
-Saying Goodbye to Elder Rich!

-Elder Robert's Birthday!
-E.R. Adventures

-Quality Video

Week 81: Roller-Coaster

AHHHHHHHHHH..... Ok I'm done. How are y'all?? This week was literally a roller-coaster of events. It has been something. But, nonetheless it was good. So, let's get right into it!

Monday we had the glorious opportunity to have District P-Day ft. The Tupelo Elders. Some members took us to Umi's and that was pretty good, and I got ratted out about it being my birthday and APPARENTLY I look like I'm in my mid-20s hahaha. Then afterwards we went to the Church Building and played games for a while. Then we came back home and finished up P-Day. After which we went out and tried visiting people but yet again things fell through. Then we came home and had Call-Ins with the Starkville Sisters and ended the day.

Tuesday was a very interesting, but good day. We got things ready for the day and we headed out to District Council in Starkville. The Sisters had the bright idea to surprise me early for my Birthday the next day, it was really awesome. It was definitely something I didn't see coming and I appreciated it a lot. And we needed up having a super good District Council about Missionary Work and how we need to keep ourselves encouraged by it. It was awesome. Then after we went out to Cookout and ate there. Then we came back and did a few things at the Library before having a lesson with Chong. It was a very interesting lesson and learned a little more about her. Then we found out exchanges were starting a little earlier so we rushed home and I packed up and we drove up to Okolona to start exchanges and I went to Tupelo with Elder Gomez Perez and went to a dinner appointment at a pretty cool restaurant and ate Buffalo and Elk. It was super good. Then we had a lesson and came home for the night.

Wednesday was my Birthday and I had the privilege of turning 20! We started off the day by doing studies and getting things ready for the day. Then after that we had lunch at Taco Bell for Lunch and President Hansen called and sang to me. Then afterwards we went out and visited people. We had some success in a few things and then we came back and got things ready to end exchanges. It was pouring rain so that was a lot of fun too. Then we drove to Okolona, ended exchanges, and drove to Aberdeen to a Mexican Place where we had dinner with the Browns and celebrated mine and their sons birthday and that was really cool. Then we drove home and ended the day.

Thursday was a hard day for me. Slight back-story: for those who have been to my house before or followed me on Instagram, you knew my chihuahua mix, Penny. Lately she hasn't been doing well whatsoever and they had to put her down on Thursday. It was very hard for me but it's just apart of life. But overall the day was pretty good. We did some service for a while and that was really good. We were able to go visit people afterwards and all that stuff. Then we ended up going in for the day.

Friday we went to the Food Pantry and did stuff there. Then afterwards we came back and finished up a few things and we started doing Weekly Planning. After that we did a few other things and then we went out and visited people. We saw Betsy and John and talked with them for a little each. And then we came home and ended the day.

Saturday we were able to take care of our calls that we each had. Then we got on our Bikes and contact John and Vernita, which we were able to do both which was awesome. Then we came back home and made cookies for the Potluck on Sunday. Then we went to the Church and did Correlation Meeting Prep and then we got Taco Bell, came home, and had a Zone Call and got Transfer News. I got released as a District Leader and I'm getting kicked to Arkansas in an area called Arkadelphia and I'll be companions with my 2nd Cousin Elder Jacob Roberts! I'm super pumped for it!

Sunday we were able to have Chong at Church and it was Branch Conference! We also had Potluck afterwards and it was super cool! Then after all of that we came home and did our studies and then went out and said goodbye to a few people and then we came inside and had Call Ins and dinner!

Overall the week was awesome! But a lot of learning and struggles. Things happen for a reason.. But God is with me.. Oh I so hope he is. Each of you are loved. See y'all in Arkansas!

May God be with you all, and know that I am here. I love you all!

Elder Braxton Hotton

Also, if y'all ever want to send me something, send it to this address:

905 Kierre Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72116

Attachments:
-My Birthday!
-The District
-Penny😔
-District P-Day

Week 80: January's Gone??

Hey y'all! I hope each of y'all are doing well! This week we were busy busy busy, but nonetheless it was a learning experience for me. Let's get into it!

Monday we had Zone P-Day up in Tupelo and had a lot of fun. We played a lot of games and even played Chair Soccer.. Lemme tell you.. I'm a hot mess during that game. But hey, it's fun XD. It was a great time bonding with the Zone. After that we came back home and finished a few things and got ready for the rest of the night. We stopped by Betsy and talked with her for a little bit and then we came back home where we had dinner and I had Call Ins with Starkville.

Tuesday we had District Council in Starkville and talked a lot about Confidence and Faith, it was a very good discussion. Afterwards we had District Lunch at Chick-fil-A and did a thing a member wanted me to do, photo provided below. Afterwards we came back and switched into services clothes and went to a place called The Mission here in town. We helped Cole and his friend move a bunch of furniture around for their organization that they are creating, and they really appreciated it a lot. Afterwards we switched back and had dinner at No Way Jose with the Browns which was pretty good. Then we came back home and had our Studies for the rest of the night.

Wednesday we did our normal studies and got things ready for the day. After all of that we went out and made attempts to contact a few people. Sadly a good bit of them fell through just because that's just what happens some days, but then we were able to drive up to Houston and check out the Wal-Mart there (which, let me tell you, is one of the smallest normal Wal-Marts I have ever seen... The isles are a little closer than normal ones) and then after that we had dinner at a members house which was really good. Then we drove home and ended the day there.

Thursday we got up at like 5am (note, 4 am Utah time, best be blessed) and got things ready and drove up to Tupelo and met up with some other Missionaries. Then we all hopped in the Zone Leaders Van and drove all the way up to Memphis for Leadership Training Meeting. It was really good, I learned a lot about how the mission can improve, another reason why the Trinity is false Doctorine, and about how we can best work with members! It was super good. Afterwards me and Elder Rich had Interviews with President Hansen, and they were really good! Then we got Arby's, and we all drove back to our perspective areas. We didn't get back home till about 10:20 XD, it was a long, but very good day.

Friday we went to the Food Pantry and did our studies. Then afterwards we started Weekly Planning and got it all done. And then we went to Staffords to celebrate Lewies Sealing Party and had King Cake which was pretty good. And I got the baby too. Aghh haha. Afterwards we had a good lesson with Betsy, talked with John for a little, and then had a, really good lesson with Chong. We invited them to Church and we were able to figure things out for it to work. Then we came home.

Saturday we had our normal studies and calls. We got all that done. Then after which we helped Neely and a few others build a fence for some dogs, and that was fun. After that we came back and got things ready and went up to Aberdeen. We were able to get in contact with Keondrick and chat with him for a little bit. We weren't able to get in contact with anyone else sadly. Then we came back and did Coorelation Report stuff and then we had Wendys and ended the day.

Sunday it was slightly stressful, but we were able to see Chong at Church! It was great. She loved it. Then after Church we came home and did our studies. Then afterwards we went and had some good visits with people and was able to find a person too. Then we came back in for the night to finish things and had Call Ins.

Overall it was a pretty good week. It was crazy that January just blew by, and now this week I turn 20... It's just mind boggling. I'm thankful for each and everyone of y'all. Keep being you. You are loved.

May God be with you all, and know that I am here. I love you all!

Elder Braxton Hotton

Also, if y'all ever want to send me something, send it to this address:

905 Kierre Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72116

Attachments:
-Chick-fil-A Quality
-A King Cake

-The Baby from the Cake
-Celebrating Lewies Sealing Anniversary
-Mardi Gras

-Zone P-Day

Week 79: Tier II Worthy

Hey y'all! I hope each of you had a good week this week. This week was bumpy in a lot of cases, but on the bright side of things me and Elder Rich hit our 18 month mark! It's crazy how much time has blown by! But let's jump right into the week!

Monday was a decent day. As y'all know I had technology issues(I'm sorry😅) and all of that but now it's fixed, I'll explain more into this week. Then after P-Day we finished our Weekly Planning because we didn't get to finish all of it during last week. And then I had Call-Ins with Starkville!

Tuesday we had District Council here in West Point, and we had a really good discussion about a few things. Afterwards we came back and had Lunch. We tried visiting a few people but most of them during that round fell through which sucked. Then we came back and finished our studies. After that we went to CVS and saw someone we were teaching and talked with her for a little bit. Then we went to go see someone else and had a really cool discussion with her! She found a few things that stood out to her while she was reading the Book of Mormon and she's excited to get back meeting with us again(she was the one we saw Sunday of last week's email). Then we got dinner from a member and it pretty much lasted us the entire week, it was super good.

Wednesday was our bike day because Thursday was going to rain. We had a lesson that fell through in the morning and then we came back and finished everything else. We biked down to the Animal Shelter and helped out there for a while and that was good. Then we came back and went to the Library and did some Family History which was pretty good. Afterwards we saw Betsy for a little bit and then we went to try and see a few people which fell through sadly but we saw John and talked with him for a little bit. Then afterwards we came back and ended the day.

Thursday is where the title comes in. I had contact with Church HQ throughout the week and apparently their Tier 1 people couldn't fix it for me, so I was worthy enough to enter into Tier II and they pretty much had me do something I know some missionaries would LOVE to do.. Which was to uninstall MaaS360(our app that controls what we can download and such). I had to reinstall it of course and it fixed my issue but it was just weird seeing YouTube on my phone for like 5 seconds. After all of that we had a lot of contact attempts and had a pretty good lesson with someone who works at one of the grocery stores here in town. But a lot of the other contacts either were short or fell through. And after all of that we came back in for the night.

Friday we started off the day with me having a ZLC Call and then doing service at the Food Pantry. After which we then we had lunch and took care of Boozey because Neely wanted us to take care of him for the weekend. Then we had contact with someone and then we did our Weekly Planning Session and got a lot of things done there. After that we contacted a few people and talked with John for a little bit and then came home.

Saturday was our 18 Month Mark!! And it was a very interesting day. We did our studies and got things ready for the day. Before leaving for Tupelo, we went and fed Boozey which was good. Then we drove up to Tupelo and picked up the Hamilton Elders and one other Elder from a dealership as they were getting their oil change. We drove to the Church and got things ready for the Broadcast with Elder Stanfill of the Seventy who was in Little Rock. We had a lot of technical issues but we were able to watch most of it which was good. We had to leave a little early to bring the Hamilton Elders back to ge their car. But we came back and locked things up because we had the key, and we dropped it back off at the Elders apartment. We drove back, got each of us a Staffords Milkshake to celebrate 18 months, and that was good! And we were at the Church for a little doing some Correlation Reporting and then we came home for the night!

Sunday we attended Branch Council and sadly no one we were teaching was at Church today, which sucked. Then after Church we had Correlation Meeting and we then came home and had Lunch. We did our studies and all of that and we tried visiting a few people and didn't have too much success in that. Afterwards we came back and finished other things we had to do and had Call Ins with Tupelo.

It was a bumpy week overall, but had some good experiences. I am reminded of something that I have to strive to live, which is Joshua 1:9, "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." As we strive to rely in the Lord in all things, it will all be ok in the end. It's hard to swallow that pill at times, but it will be ok, one way or the other. I love y'all and I hope each of you have a great week.

May God be with you all, and know that I am here. I love you all!

Elder Braxton Hotton

Also, if y'all ever want to send me something, send it to this address:

905 Kierre Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72116

Attachments:
-Grammar Error on the Trash Bin(let me know if you find it)
-Missippi(yes.. That's now the South says Mississippi) State Stadium
-My new Profile Pic(1-10?)
-18 Months!!
-Deleting MaaS instructions

Week 78: Technology Issues and Busy Week

Hello one and all! I apologize for those who emailed me today, I am having Technology issues regarding my email, I can't seem to access it on my phone. So I apologize! Hopefully I can get ahold of Church HQ tomorrow to see if they can fix it! But anyways, let's get into the week!

Monday after P-Day we went out and tried to visit people but everything fell through sadly. So we came back to the apartment, did a few things then I had Call Ins with the Starkville Sisters!

Tuesday we had Zone Conference up in Smithville, Mississippi and that was a really good Conference. We talked a lot about how we can best help the mission move forward and talked about being bold too. It was awesome. Then afterwards we drove back to West Point and met the Brown Family at Staffords where we had dinner at! It was a really good day.

Wednesday we did our normal studies and got things ready for the day. We went to the Church to figure things out, and during that our phones decided to get messed up by MaaS360(an app that the Church helps allow us to download certain things). So we weren't able to get in most of our apps for most of the day. Then afterwards we stopped by Betsy where we chatted with her for a while and invited her to Church. Then we had a lesson that fell through so we rescheduled a time and then we did a few things at Wal-Mart that we had to get. Then afterwards we got some things ready(and thankfully our phones got fixed..for the most part) and then we had dinner with a family from the Airbase at La Fiesta Brava, which is a good mexican place here in West Point. Then afterwards we were supposed to have some lessons but it fell through so then we went to someone's house and had a good visit with him and read The Family: A Proclamation to The World(if you haven't read it recently, I suggest you do) and that was really good. Afterwards we came in for the night and finished a few things.

Thursday we biked for the first time in a long while haha. We did our studies and got things ready as usual. I also fixed up some of my other problems that follow the whole MaaS thing and turns out my email on my phone didn't want to sync so that was great. Then we went out and visited a good bit of people. Some things fell through but we had some good conversations with those we did see. We helped someone out with their technology again, checked up and saw how someone was doing, and then saw someone at CVS, where we also found another person through that. So we were happy about that. Then we biked back and did a few other things and then we saw 2 other people with brief contacts and then we came home and had dinner. It was nice to be on the bike again.

Friday we started off in the morning with exchanges with our Zone Leaders and I went with Elder Daniels in Tupelo, we started off the day by getting a call to the Tupelo Hospital to give a blessing to a member in New Albany. So we went and did that and that was good. Afterwards we drove to the apartment and started studying and planning. Then we had lunch at Dairy Queen and then visited people. We found a person during the process and we had a good day overall. Then in the evening we visited a ministering family and we had a good visit there. Then after we came home and finished off the day there.

Saturday we finished exchanges and we drove back to West Point. I had my ZLC Call and we got some things ready. Then we drove up to Aberdeen and had lunch with the Nickersons and we visited a few people with Brother Nickerson which was really good. Then afterwards we did a few things in Aberdeen and then we drove all the way to Houlka and had a lesson with someone which was good. Then we drove back to West Point and ended the day.

Sunday we sadly didn't have anyone at Church. But we had a Potluck after which was pretty good. And then we typed out a few things to send to the Elders Quorum. And then we came back and then had a good visit with someone we met a few weeks ago. She met with missionaries for a long time in the past and almost got baptized, so we have a lot of potential with her. Then we came back and did Weekly Planning before Call Ins. After that we had dinner and ended the day with a big headache..which sucked.

It was a good week overall. We got a lot of things done and was busy the entire week. I am grateful for the time that I had to work and learn. It's hard sometimes.. it really is. But it'll be worth it. It will. I hope y'all have a wonderful week!

May God be with you all, and know that I am here. I love you all!

Elder Braxton Hotton

Also, if y'all ever want to send me something, send it to this address:

905 Kierre Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72116

Attachments:
-A weird cactus

-Old jello(no mom it wasn't at our apartment haha)

-I look emo.. then I do my hair (1-10 I'd rate 7)

-Clovers a daughter of someone we are teaching gave me haha