January 28, 2012 E-mail

Hey all!

 

Everything is going good in Paris, TN.  I was kind of hoping I would be leaving Paris so I could get a new start in a new area, but I guess he says I need to have more patience and diligence. lol :)

   

This past week we made Gwen Mcnut a birthday cake; she was really excited :) ....

Sister Mckee is doing great. She is getting out of the hospital this week and is doing very good...

 

So I have something interesting: this past week I have learned how smell can affect how someone feels the spirit... There is a family in the branch that has lots and lots of animals living in their house and they smell really, really powerfully (it burns your eyes because of the ammonia on them).    Any way, we had 2 investigators come to church and sat in the row in front of this family. 5 minutes later they got up and left never to bee seen again.  This is the 4th time this has happened since I have been in Paris.    Moral of the story: your body is a temple. People see your face value every time you are around them. This is why we have to wear nice clothes and bathe daily, lol . :)

 

Caleb 

Jan. 21, 2012 E-mail

Hello out there in the big big world!

I have finally got it a way to describe Paris, TN: Paris is like the movie Ground Hog Day. lol. Once you get here, you're stuck. lol. We can do different things, but everyone else does the same exact thing every day. :) It's weird to say but so true. We have around 50 different people we have been working with (just investigators) who are interested and know, but don't have the drive to self-commit to anything. lol. So once the ice is broken, great things. But until then, still woking in Paris...

Caleb

Jan. 14, 2012 E-mail

Hello everyone, how's it going? 

I am still in Paris, TN.  I have been here since the first part of August and am kind of looking forward to a change. lol. We have one week left of the transfer and then I find out if I'm staying or if I'm going...  It's 29 degrees outside right now. The past 2 days it has rained about 8 inches of rain. This past week has been pretty cool. So a funny story, we had interviews Friday and as soon as I sat down President Mckee told me I need to drink more water, lol. I was also told I have been put in the hardest areas in the mission... I don't know what he meant by that, but it's good to know it's supposed to be a hard area. (It's not really a hard area, other missionaries just complain a lot. lol)   

So some cool things that's happened since I have been in Paris: I have really studied the quad and I'm almost done. lol  I'm either 60 or 80 % of the way done.  I have not been studying  the D&C too much, though.   I have broken down all the writings into styles of record keeping, use of words in cultural meanings and I have come to this conclusion abought the bible: the only way to understand it is to rely on the Holy Ghost and personal revelation.  That being said, the bible or (books in greek) is supposed to support the Book of Mormon and the other testaments of the 12 tribes...and the testimonies on the Gentile nations ...   It's pretty cool.    

Love,
Elder Caleb Poulson

December 31, 2012 E-mail

Happy old year and hello New Year :)   For today and tomorrow we don't have to do any missionary work, we get to play.

 

So... a funny story from last night. At 6:00 we decided we were going to go visit a member who lives 30 miles from us. We get in the car and drive down the street, then we realize we forgot the ward directory. So we drive around the block and I parked in the street and walk across the grass to our duplex, find the directory, then head back to the car. We're back in the car driving to the highway when all of a sudden it starts to smell like the sewer plant, lol.  I'm thinking, "Man, why does it stink so bad outside?" ... so after 3 more minutes of smelling it I was struck with the thought of "you crossed the grass". . . .  so I stopped the car and got out to see and sure enough I stepped in a giant dog turd and it was all over! So we went back to the apartment, I changed my shoes, threw out the floor mat and then we were finally able to get on our way ...    So the lesson from this is no matter how clean you are, it only takes one misplaced step to really make a mess of everything. And until we change our will to God's, we will always stink.

     

Lots of love! Hope you like the story.  

Caleb