Address and E-mail

Elder Brandon Orr
3487 South 1300 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84106

brandon.orr@myldsmail.net

Friday, February 25, 2011

February 23, 2011

Sorry it's taking me awhile to write this week. President's Day and then I had an appointment yesterday morning so I couldn't then either. So finally on Wednesday, you can hear from me. But this week has been pretty good. We hit the Standard of Excellence for the fourth time together. Which was nice. But Elder Sharp has still had really no of late. I've just been trying my best to do my thing and help him as much as I can, but I'm not going to drag him to do the work. I'm just going to try and set an example and hope he will catch back on and refind his desire. Because, honestly, if I have to drag a companion to do something it's just worse for everyone involved. We don't teach as well because I'm upset with him, he's upset because I'm making him work, and the investigator doesn't get as much out of it. I'm not complaining, it's just another situation where I can help someone. I just hope I can help him. We kind of set some different goals for this week work wise. We are gonna let the area chill, or just only teach the people on date, and let the potential wait until next transfer or until Sharp wants to work again. I'm going to really try to help him and do what I can to get him back where he was when we were hitting the SOE (Standard of Excellence) every week last transfer. I think he's just really tired of the area after 6 months and ther leaders. I've been trying to talk to him a lot and get him motivated.

Had a pretty good talk with him last night. I asked him if he was done for the transfer or what the deal was? He said he'd have to think about it. Then he slept in till 10 this morning. I know I could get mad, start yelling and tell him what he's not doing right, but he knows what he needs to be doing. Just has to find the desire on his own. I think that's the biggest mistake leaders make out here is pushing people til the breaking point rather than just talking with them and trying their best to help them. A lot more important than a weeks worth of work. Just feel like if I can help him now it will affect the rest of his mission versus it just helping us have a better week. So hopefully it'll work out well. If not.. transfers are on March 9th. lol
But we had Joel's baptism this past Saturday. He's a 9 year old kid I talked about that was crazy and hard to teach, but he's gotten a lot better. We had been working really close with the WML, but Saturday morning we found out he didnt have a program and no one from the Bishopric was coming to his baptism. I was so mad at him but I got it figured out and Elder Sharp and I just spoke. It was really fun not having time to prepare anything and just winging my talk. I like doing that a lot more than preparing a well thought out thing. The Spirit is able to guide you a lot more. But it went really well his grandpa was able to baptize him and they had me confirm him the next morning. It was a really cool thing to do. There is definitely a different spirit about confirming someone versus a regular blessing. It was the first time I wasn't nervous about doing something like that. I love how happy the moms are after being able to do someting like that for them. LOVE IT. :)

And something that happened.. I asked Elder Sharp what he thought about my teaching style and how I was doing because I'm pretty confident in my teaching but I always want to know how I could be better. He said that I was one of the few people he knew that had a different lesson every time we met with someone. As far as totally teaching to their needs instead of having something prepared. He also said that it showed I actually wanted to help the people rather than faking my sincerity. So that made me really happy. Funny thing is that I'm only like that because when I was trained I never planned a lesson. Horner hated to plan so we just had lesson plans as we knocked on the door. But I guess it's been a blessing. Just being able to go let the spirit guide the lessons.

But the thing I'm really working on is being more humble and having more of a missionary attitude around the other elders. I'm usually joking around a lot and they get the idea that I dont care about being a missionary. But im working on it, because I definitely care about being a missionary. My favorite thing lately is that the new greenie elders think ive been out for like over a year. Its always funny. When they ask me "So how long you been out Orr? Like 13, 15 months?" Nah man I been out a month longer than you have. lol So funny. But things are going great. Just pray for my comp. I have a feeling I will have more companions with no desire to work, and I'll have to help them. But I'm up for it. Whatever President Winn wants me to do. I do it. Except giving up DP... I've kinda having a relapse lately. :(
Love you guys.
Elder Orr

February 14, 2011

Hey fam

Yeah I know. Pretty crazy im 20 now. lol Even crazier that I've been out 6 months. Kinda crazy. Stuff is going to get real, really quick when i get home. lol Still think im supposed to be a kid sometimes.

Yeah ive been doing better with the mission stuff. I have interviews this Friday with President Winn so hopefully they will go well. I have a lot I want to talk to him about. Probably be bumped up to Senior next transfer. Maybe train. Who knows. I don't really care, I just hope im blessed enough to just train and be able to baptize my whole mission.

But transfers will be on March 9th. I will definitely be getting a new companion and staying where I'm at. But yeah if you have any questions about anything just e-mail. I know I'm not the most detailed with stuff. I know I haven't told ya much bout my comp area or stuff. So if ya got questions ask me. I know mom always has them. But things are going pretty good. Not much happened this week again. Just been going to the important appointments and staying in besides that. Sharp is having some problems. I dont know what's going on. But hopefully it will get better this week. When we were first together I would just make him work but it just made him hate everything and now were actually getting along pretty well. He's just been having a lot of depression and anxiety problems and his medication makes him tired and hasnt been working I guess. Can't blame the guy for it. He wants to be working most of the time but just hasn't been able to. I am pretty excited to get a new comp. But it's been pretty good with Sharp.

Birthday was really good though. Members hooked me up really well. I got a cheescake from a family. Then had a birthday dinner and cake with the Taylors. But work is going well. Julia and Joel will get baptized this week. They both got pushed back from the 5th. So glad theyll finally get baptized. Pretty happy. Not much to tell ya about them. Sometimes we just dont have the best relationship with the people. They just kind of see us as the elders not friends like most people. So we just teach and leave usually.

I've been better with leaders though. Weekly planning the zone leaders drilled me about why I wasn't excited about the work. idk what the deal is. I'm not an emotional person about anything.lol You know this...Washington DC trip.lol Still my favorite trip. haha Didn't get mad though. Just trying to be more patient and see where they are coming from.

Loving the mision though. Time flying by. So glad. Tired of counting the days earlier in my mission. But yesterday was my 200th day! lol Love you guys. Hopefully not too much complaining or anything. Sorry I do that sometimes. I get a lil excited when I start talking about stuff.

Elder Orr

February 1, 2011

Hey what's up family?! WOW I got a lot of e-mails, and I really appreciate it. Makes my day when I have a full inbox, but I'll send everyone a lil something. But this will be my general one home.

Uhm this week has been really boring. Haven't been able to work very much. Elder Sharp messed up his knee last P-day and hasn't been able to walk. It really stinks because I really want to wok right now. But I guess I'm getting a taste of what Elder Horner had to deal with for 3 months But he didn't really care about it.. I'm dying. Sitting at home all day is killing me. But getting as much done as possible. Going on exchanges and stuff. Still going to have a baptism this week. His name is Joel Pendelton, he's 9 and crazy. It's been really hard to teach him. He doesn't pay attention very much and gets distracted very easily. But I've got a lot of new ways to get him into it and he's been doing a lot better. I shortened everything down. Watching movies about the restoration instead of lessons and tell him if he'll pay attention we'll only be there for 20 minutes. He got sooo excited. lol Like last night we went over the baptismal interview questions. I told him if he did good we'd be fast and he could keep watching Shrek. So anytime I would talk to his mom he would get mad and say, "I'm paying attention Elder Orr!" And as soon as he answered the last question he yelled yes and did a fist pump and said SEE YA! It was really funny. He is a great kid, it's just hard for him to sit and listen. But his little 3 year old brother loves me. It's hilarious, he's always giving me hugs and saying he likes the missionaries.

He's the only person we're really teaching a lot because of the knee problems, but stuff will get stacked back up this week. Hopefully be getting a car. The doctor called Sis.Winn and told her we would need one for 3 weeks. Definitely learning a lot about patience and long suffering lol But it's all good :)

Love you guys.
BYE!

January 10, 2011

Hello fam

I answer all your questions then give ya the new info.

Havn't got my package yet. Been freezing tho. lol A WML gave me a coat because he was mad that I was walking around in a suit. I'll probably get it this thursday tho. We have a new mail rule that is kind of dumb but I guess its just another way to follow a rule and be blessed. We get mail picked up by ZLs on Thursday, DLs give it to us Friday. But we can't open it until Pday. It's pretty stupid but I successfully did it this week. :)

Awesome it would be sweet if she played somewhere. Needs to go to UVU with her bubba. :)

But the work we are doing is amazing! We have a standards of excellence out here. That is a big deal if you get it and we just blew it out of the water. Have dad compare them to his missionaries back home.haha 2 baptized. 1 confirmed. 10 investigators with a baptismal date. 15 lessons with a member. 7 to sacrament meeting. 5 new investigators. And its about to get even crazier. Found a family with 4 kids. all unbaptized for some reason. But the girl got her personal progress on Sunday. lol So she should be ready. I'm up to 12 baptisms now in the 19 weeks ive been out. :) We had Reanon get baptized last night. (I did it) Then her brother and her two friends wanted to be baptized. It was awesome. Then on Saturday Aris was baptized and his family stood up and thanked everyone in spanish for all that they did and how proud they were even though they aren't members YET. But the spanish elders will teach them. And on top of this we're in Magna. Magna is like not a good place to serve. Elders use Magna as a replacement swear word. lol So not only are we tearing it up. But were doing it in an unlikely area. Ive been completley exhausted the last week. Aris caught me sleeping in sacrament meeting and wont stop giving me a hard time about it. But I'm still working very hard. We have zone conference tomorrow so I'm way excited for the day off and to hang with President Winn.

Love you.
Elder Orr