Hello to my dear, amazing, and awesome Family!!!!!
Wow, I'm so excited to talk to you today! First and fore most, thank you so, so, so, very much for the awesome and fun emails! You are always so nice to write me the best emails and I'm always so thankful for them! It sure was fun to read your email yesterday and it's almost like having a conversation with each of you as you tell me all about your week! This week has been so great for us and the weather has been so nice! We met some really amazing people and got to teach the Marvin girls! The work up here is moving right along but it is a grind and we are going full speed ahead! The work up here is really rewarding because it only takes that 1 person who is interested to make it all worth it! Today for P-day we are going to do the usual and then "see what the day brings!" Hehe! 
It should be a very fun day and I'm really excited to chat with you all! It looks like it is going to be a rainy day today and so we will clean the apartment and go grocery shopping and then head out to do something fun indoors! Well, here goes my week!
Today was such a great and fun P-Day!!! Wow! I had so much fun talking back and forth with you and I loved all of your emails! I wish that we could have talked forever! It is so much fun to talk to you and read your emails during the day! I hope that your evening went well and I have been thinking about you a lot! You are all so awesome and I'm so happy that you are doing well and that you had so much fun this last week and got to meet Elder Mitonzi and Elder Palmer! I loved hearing from you during the day and I love that we can chat back and forth! We got lots done and we cleaned the apartment and got it all ready for the week! Then we headed out for some fun and we got to see the Sussex airport and it has a skydiving center and so we had fun watching a helicopter take off with passengers ready to skydive! It made me nervous just to watch them! Hehe! This area is just so pretty and there is so much green around us! I love seeing the rolling hills and green as far as the eye can see! The highlight of my day was getting to email you and it just recharges my batteries so much and I feel refreshed after I get to talk to each one of you! After our fun P-Day ended, we called Sister Campbell because she wanted to know the phone number for the Manhattan Temple Family History center and so we called her and then headed out and worked really hard and got to talk to so many people! We started by visiting a member who is 20 and he is friends with the YSA leader for the Stake and we saw the name Georgiev on the list of people to visit but we didn't remember that we had met him and so he opened up his door and we totally recognized him! He is an interesting guy and it was fun to get to know him better. They live out in a huge field and when we did a full 360 degrees turn, all we could see were wide open fields and pretty trees! I would love for you to see it someday because it is amazing, especially in person! Then we tried to visit a guy who neither of us had met or seen before named Otto and he is a member but hadn't been visited by missionaries in a really long time. Brother Fucito is the Elder's Quorum secretary and he wants us to find the members that haven't been contacted in a long time to see if they even still live there or want contact with the Church. We have already found a few single members that want visits but just can't come to Church. We had a very pretty drive and then Elder Caccioppoli told me something sad. He said that his 93 year old Grandpa passed away yesterday because he was just so sick and had many health challenges. He said that he is glad that his Grandpa doesn't feel pain anymore and he was happy that he could live to 93 years old! Elder Caccioppoli told me that he didn't know him very well but was mostly sad for his Dad who was having a tough time. I love how Elder Caccioppoli just keeps pushing forward and sees the bigger picture! Today was such an exciting day with everything that happened and that we all got to see and do this last week! I love you with all my heart and I'm so very proud to be your Son and Brother! You make me so happy all of the time and motivate me to be the best that I can be! LOVE & MISS YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!
Tuesday was so great too! District meeting seems to come around quicker and quicker and I feel like we were just having one yesterday! Funny how fast time goes! I was really excited to get your email this morning and I was so happy that you all had a great day! I thought it was really cool that you set the date in the countdown clock! I was thankful to hear when you all get out of school for Christmas break! I wasn't sure if December 19th would be a day off our not and that thought crossed my mind that they would have school up until Friday. I was looking through the pictures that you sent again and you all look so happy and I'm so glad that you are all doing so well! We got to study and then we drove to Ledgewood for our meeting and it was really good! Our district leader, Elder Broberg is really funny and is from Maple Mountain! During my morning studies, I was reading President Nelson's conference talk about the literal gathering of Scattered Israel and how each of us is a part of this great work! It reminded me of the 10th Article of Faith:
"10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaical glory."
It is really fun to think that we get to gather Israel and that we have the great opportunity to live in this last dispensation! I just keep thinking how blessed I am to have been born into a strong, loving, and supportive Family and that I am able to share this message of peace and happiness with others and help them see the joy that comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It was a really hot day today and it was some of the hottest weather we have had this whole summer. It got up to 95 degrees and I checked your weather and it was so much cooler! I bet it was nice to be in the 60s! I noticed that it got down to 44 this morning and so I bet you woke up chilly! Brrrrrr! It was so hot here that we had a heat advisory and the humidity was unusually high. After we had District Meeting and had some lunch, we went to visit the Marvin Family and set up an appointment with them! I do have some more exciting news! I got a response from President Hess and he said that he already knew about my release date and he approved it as soon as he found out from Sister Naylor a few weeks ago when she gave me the option and so we are all good to go! It all fell into place so nicely and I'm so grateful for the leaders of the mission for being so on top of things! While tracting, we met a really nice couple in their 80s and they live in this peaceful part of Ogdensburg and they were sitting on their front porch just enjoying life! It was neat to see 2 people that have been married for a while enjoying the outdoors! I love simple things like that! We talked with them and they said that they were "content" with the way their lives are going and didn't see a need to join any other Church. So we continued up the road a ways and talked to lots of people and they were starting to come home from work and so we hit a goldmine of people to talk to!!!! We also met this really nice lady and she told us how she loves life and enjoys the simple things and so we talked to her about her beliefs and she knew a little bit about the Church and knew that we do free service for those in need. She wouldn't let us come back though and teach her more but it was great to talk to her! Then we went to visit a less active Family who like the missionaries and have told them before that they are in Church a lot but it turns out that they haven't been to Church in a few years! Hehe! We met their daughter and she said that they were cooking dinner but it was 8:20 at night and so we aren't sure if they were really cooking dinner that late but we were so happy to meet them! I hope that you all had an amazing and fun day! I sure was thinking about each one of you a lot and I'm excited to tell you how my interview with President Hess goes tomorrow! LOVE YOU TONS!!!
Wednesday was a very awesome day! Good luck in your Football games today! I will be cheering loud for you! I hope that you can win your Football games and have lots of fun playing with your teamates! I realized something so very cool today! Since I will be coming home on December 19th, I get to fly out with Elder Lusk and Sister Smith!!! It should be a pretty big group and I'm hoping to go home with lots of other New York missionaries that I know! It will be cool to fly home with somebody that I know and someone from our Stake! I was really excited about my interview with President Hess and it is always such a pretty drive to Morristown! I am always extra careful when I drive on the freeway and make sure to be safe! So we took off for Morristown after our studies and since this was Elder Caccioppoli's exit interview, his went for a half an hour from 12:40-1:10 and then mine started right after that! We are working extra hard and Elder Caccioppoli feels the pressure of how much time he has left and so we are working extra hard to find more people to teach and teach everyone we can! I just love this area and the many cool people that we get to meet and teach! Being a missionary is so rewarding and I love testifying to people of the things I know to be true! My interview went SO well with President Hess and he asked me if I had talked to Sister Naylor about my release date and he said that he had approved it! He wanted to make sure that Sister Naylor knew about it and I said that she had already sent the release date sheets and he was really happy that she was so on top of things! He was happy that I received a clear answer and was happy to hear about my decision! It was so awesome to meet with him and he encouraged me to keep up what I am doing and keep working hard! He is such a great guy and was grateful that everything worked out with my date! I was very grateful that he had already known about it and was on board with either decison! It couldn't have gone any better and I was so thankful for the chance to talk to him! He thought it was a good idea to go back to school and was really supportive of my decision! We mostly talked about the ward and some small ways that we can help them become more missionary minded and have them do the work of finding people for us to teach! President Hess really admired that we are out and about tracting and spending our days finding because he said it is tough work and he was proud that we are working hard and finding more people to teach! Then after interviews, we hurried back to Franklin go have a lesson with the Marvin Family and it was such a cool lesson! The girls were paying attention and they are really learning a lot and remembering what we teach them and so they are getting closer and closer to baptism! We were so thankful to be able to teach them without any distractions or appointments that they had to get to! We were able to review and answer any questions that they had about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation! They even showed us their pet guinea pigs! Hehe! 
The lesson went so smoothly and so far, we have taught them the first 3 lessons and so now we just have to go over the commandments and keep praying that they come to Church and they should be on track to get baptized on September 22nd! Jordan, who is the oldest and is 14, still doesn't want to get baptized even though she is sitting in in the lessons but Adrianna and Vanessa still are really excited to get baptized! Things are really looking bright for them and we were so excited that the lesson went so well! Then we got to have dinner at the Church with Sister Stevenson and she made us a yummy quiche (I'm not sure how to spell it! Hehe! 
KEESH!!!) and we had salad, yogurt, grapes, and peanut butter squares for dessert! It sure was fun to have a home cooked meal and visit with her! Then we went tracting for the rest of the evening and it has been getting dark so quick and so people are not very happy when we knock on their door when it is dark, even though it is 7:45. It was a great day and I'm so happy that we got so much done! My interview went so well and I'm so happy that he approved my release date! It was an exciting day for sure! I hope the boys are winning their Football games and that you all had a great day! LOVE EACH ONE OF YOU SO MUCH!!!
Thursday was such an awesome day and what made it even better was that I found out that Brandon won his Football game! Thank you SO very much for sending me an email! Our day went really well today and we got a text from the Clinton Elders and Elder Broberg asked if we could go on a split tonight! They asked us to meet them halfway and they said that I would go into Clinton for the day with Elder Broberg. Clinton is a lot more spread out and there aren't as many people that live there and so they are having a hard time finding people to teach. Elder Caccioppoli and I had some great studies and we got our weekly planning all done before Daniel drove to our apartment to drive us around for the day! He really is such a nice guy to do that for us and it saves so many miles on our car! So at 1:00, we hopped into his car and he drove us around to visit some single sisters in our area that we normally wouldn't be able to visit. We started with visiting Sister Di Corcia and she has had some health challenges and is starting to go blind and so she can't come to Church and so we try to visit her when we can to "bring Church to her" in a sense! We really enkoy visiting with her because she has lots of cool stories when she was a little girl in Idaho going to primary and helping out on the farm! After our lesson with her and Daniel, we went to visit a few less active members but none of them were home besides one member and he told us that we showed up at a bad time and so we met him and then headed out for more work! Daniel had to be home earlier than usual today because he had to pick up some of his older siblings that were flying into Newark airport from Spanish Fork and so we enjoyed spending time with Daniel and doing lots of work with him! After dinner, we had a few hours for tracting before we got to drive up to meet the Clinton Elders for our split! Tracting went so well and we had a guy call us over and so we happily went over and talked to him! He told us that he was 70 years old and was Protestant and loves learning about other Churches! He asked us what made us different and asked us why anybody would ever convert to our Church and so we taught him about the Book of Mormon and he was really interested in Joseph Smith! It was one of the last people that we talked to and it was such a great way to end the day! We drove go Floudners New Jersey to split and I had my overnight bag packed and was really excited about the split and was excjted to serve with Elder Broberg! I was thinking about each of you so much and was so excited about Brandon's game and that he won! I love and appreciate each of you so very much and I'm so grateful for each of you! LOVE YA TONS!!!!
Friday was a very awesome day! I hope that you all had an amazing and fun Friday and are looking forward to a 3 day weekend! I was excited to think that the Aggies played and couldn't wait to hear how they did and to hear if Parker had a Football game! I thought about you a lot today and was sending lots of well wishes and hugs your way! I spent the whole day in Clinton with Elder Broberg and we had a great day! It was so very busy and we were running around all over the place but Elder Broberg and I had a great day! He is from Mapleton Utah and went to a semester at UVU before coming on his mission and he has been out for 8 months now. We started the day by going to visit a few of their investigators that they met tracting and then we went tracting and had lots of success finding people at home! We met this one lady and we introduced ourselves and Elder Broberg and I both thought that she said "You came over at a really bad time" but instead she said "You came over at a really great time!" and started to cry. She broke down and just couldn't believe that we were on her door sharing a message about peace because she said that her Brother just passed away and was so hard on her. She asked us to come back next Friday because she was really interested to hear more! It started to pour rain but luckily we had our umbrellas and stayed dry but almost everyone asked us "What are you doing out in a storm like this???" We talked to lots of people about their belief in Jesus Christ has helped them and then we gave out a few copies of the Book of Mormon! Then we unlocked the Church for some of their members and helped them set up for a baptism of an 8 year old member of the Clinton Ward and then rushed over to Costco for dinner with a member! Her name is Sister Talmo and she is from Brazil and bought us a huge pizza for just the 2 of us! It was really yummy and then we rushed back to the apartment to grab my items that I brought for my split and then we quickly drove over to Flanders to meet up with the other Elder and then we drove back to Franklin! WOW! It was a busy day and we talked to tons of people and really enjoyed getting to know each other! He and his Mom started a fitness company in Park City right before he left and he is excited to keep working on it when he comes home! He went to New York City before coming on his mission and so we had fun talking about the Big City and also Utah! I hope each one of you had an amazing day! Know that I'm thinking about you a lot and I love you so, so, so, very much!!!!
Saturday was amazing! I woke up and was very excited to see your email! I was sad to hear that the Aggies lost but was excited that they kept the game so close! I was thinking about you all a lot and wishing you all a very fun Saturday and cheering Parker on! We had such a great and busy day! Brother Stevenson invited us and the Sister Missionaries over for a breakfast at his house and also to have ward correlation and then he also thought it would be fun that we all made pens on a wooden lathe! Mine turned out so amazing and I can't wait to show you! So we woke up, got ready, and headed over to his house for a yummy breakfast! Sister Stevenson made us a yummy breakfast casserole and then we got to make our wooden pens on the lathe and I was really happy at how mine turned out! I did a dark wood called Cocoa Bolo and I shaved down 2 blocks of wood and had fun making my pen! It was a really fun morning and we got to talk about our investigators and getting to know the Stevenson's better! The weather was a little cloudy and it was very busy since it was a 3 day weekend! I was hoping that you got to do something really fun and are having a great 3 day weekend! I have loved reading the scriptures so much and I love feeling the spirit confirm to me that the Book of Mormon truly is the word of God! I started to read the Doctrine and Covenants and my goal is to finish reading the rest of the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants and also the Pearl of Great Price! I have been reading and studying so hard and I have also been studying the 4 pack of books that we bought. So farI have finished reading Our Heritage, True To The Faith, and Our Search For Happiness! I am in the middle of the Book of Mormon right now and I'm having fun reading Jesus The Christ! I have really picked up some good study habits that I struggled to use in High School but I'm excited to know how to better prepare and study for tests! That is another thing that I'm so thankful that I've been able to experience on my mission is learning how to study and read better! My mission has just been an incredible experience and I will be forever grateful for you letting me serve a mission! I've grown so much and I'm excited to apply the things I've learned to when I come home! I studied a lot and read a few chapters in the Book of Mormon and also the Doctrine and Covenants! You were all in my every thought and prayer and I'm so proud to be your son and Brother! I sure do love you so much!!!!! After we studied and had some lunch, we went to go tracting near where Sister Campbell lives and it was a very pretty area! I can't tell if Elder Caccioppoli is excited or anxious to go home but he isn't getting trunky even though he has 4 weeks left! It's really weird to think that I will for sure be getting a new companion in 4 weeks! Time is zooming by so fast! Wow! I realized that we are about a month away from General Conference and I'm very excited for that! I do have something cool to tell you! So I'm always trying to strengthen my faith and continue to have spiritual experiences! We are told in the Book of Mormon to pray to know if it is truly the word of God. I was reading the Book of Mormon and as I said a prayer and asked, "is the Book of Mormon true?" I received an answer many years ago that it is true but when I asked this time, after I closed my prayer, I opened up the Book of Mormon and started reading where I randomly turned to. The first 4 words that I read were on page 444 and it said "this record is true"! Isn't that so cool!?! I love how prayers are answered in such a clear way! ! Experiences like that just help me continue to build my Faith! While tracting, we met a very nice lady that works at the library and said that she has seen the Book of Mormon on the shelves and has always wondered what it was all about! She said that she recently got a divorse and so she said that it has been very hard on her. We promised and testified to her that if she reads the Book of Mormon, she will feel peace in this difficult time! It was so great to pass out a copy of the Book of Mormon to someone who really needs it! Then we got to visit a few less active members on our list and we met the son of a less active member named Freddy Curiel! We even set up an appointment with them for Sunday afternoon! It was a really great day and I thought about you a lot and sending "air hugs" from New Jersey! I hope you won your game Puck! I was thinking about you a lot Buddie!!! Love you all tons and tons!!!!
WOW! Sunday was a great and busy day! As usual, I was so very excited to read your email and hear all about everyone's week! I look forward to it so very much and reading your emails and seeing your pictures are the best part of the week! Since it was fast Sunday, they didn't have the regular meetings and so we were able to plan and study before heading off to Church! I hope that you all had an amazing Sunday and enjoyed going to Church! We had quite the exciting day in the Sparta ward! It was a very exciting day and so many changes happened! We got to meet the Stake President of the Morristown Stake and they released the Bishopric and called a new one! The whole Bishopric changed and they called the Elders Quorum President, Brother Cook, to be the new Bishop! He chose Brother Kochevar, from Utah, as his 1st councilor, and Brother Mills, also from Utah, as 2nd councilor. Then they called, Brother Asay, from Lovell Wyoming, as the new Elders Quorum President! In our Gospel Principles class, one of the members mentioned that we aren't paid in currency, we are paid in blessings. Brither Stevenson talked about how missionaries and their Families pay to go on missions but they receive many more blessings that we can imagine! It was a very cool lesson about how Christ's Church runs and operates! Then Sister Campbell invited us over for dinner tonight and so we were really excited to go over! She has a really nice patio and we enjoy sitting out there having a yummy meal and enjoying nature! She always loves feeding the missionaries and we are thankful for her! Every time we go over, I always tell her thanks from you and she tears up when she thinks about how much it means to you! She fed us a really yummy meal and made homemade, white cheddar, Mac n cheese with salad, hot dogs and kraut! She even gave us a surprise at the end! She said that she bought a whole bunch of milk and she hadn't ever heard of the brand before and when she brought it out.....guess what kind it was! Gosner's milk made in none other than beautiful Logan Utah!!! She thought it was amazing that she would buy milk from my hometown! I enjoyed a cold glass of milk from Utah while I read your email! We shared a few quotes from Elder Mckonkie's talk from April of 1985 and it was his last talk before he passed away. Sister Campbell had just joined the Church when he gave the talk but she loved it! Since it was Sunday, we wanted to do a lesson about the Sacrament and the Atonement and that was the first talk that came to mind! We then headed out to do some tracting and then I was very excited to read your email and see your pictures!!! WOW! Your email was just so very amazing and I loved every word! You sure are doing so great and I'm so happy to hear from each of you! I was so happy that Football is going so well and everyone is adjusting to their new school year! I was very happy to hear that you are all doing so well and having lots of fun too! It makes me happy when you are happy!
I am really, really appreciative of your emails and pictures and it makes my whole week! It's so crazy that it is already September! Time flies by so fast and it keeps getting faster! Thanks again for the very fun email and pictures! I'm really excited to talk to you tomorrow! Have such a great night! Love you tons!!!
P.S: I just enjoyed my glass of "Logan milk" and thought of you all! It was fun to have a "taste of home" Love Ya!!!
P.P.S: I just realized that all 3 members in the new Sparta Bishopric are all from Utah! Hehe!
Well my dear Family, I loved being able to write this email and I'm so excited that you are all off from work and school today! I just want to take the time to express my love and appreciation for each of you! I'm so thankful for your Love and your examples and everything that you teach me! I'm so grateful to be serving as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I'm so proud to be a member of the 1 true Church on the face of the Earth! I love you so much, all day, every day, all of the time! You make me so happy and I'm learning and growing so much! I have loved the man I've become and I'm beyond excited to see you in a few months! This is the 4th quarter, the final inning, and the home stretch! We can do this!!!! It has been such a special, sacred experience to serve a mission and I love the people that I've met and gotten to know better! I hope that you all have another amazing and fun week! I hope that all of your activites go well and that Mom gets settled back into school! You've got this! I hope that all of the Football games go well this week and that your work and school goes great too! I will be thinking about each of you a lot and wishing you all a great week in all that you do! LOVE & MISS EACH OF YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!!
Love You Always!
~Elder Lindberg
Today was such a great and fun P-Day!!! Wow! I had so much fun talking back and forth with you and I loved all of your emails! I wish that we could have talked forever! It is so much fun to talk to you and read your emails during the day! I hope that your evening went well and I have been thinking about you a lot! You are all so awesome and I'm so happy that you are doing well and that you had so much fun this last week and got to meet Elder Mitonzi and Elder Palmer! I loved hearing from you during the day and I love that we can chat back and forth! We got lots done and we cleaned the apartment and got it all ready for the week! Then we headed out for some fun and we got to see the Sussex airport and it has a skydiving center and so we had fun watching a helicopter take off with passengers ready to skydive! It made me nervous just to watch them! Hehe! This area is just so pretty and there is so much green around us! I love seeing the rolling hills and green as far as the eye can see! The highlight of my day was getting to email you and it just recharges my batteries so much and I feel refreshed after I get to talk to each one of you! After our fun P-Day ended, we called Sister Campbell because she wanted to know the phone number for the Manhattan Temple Family History center and so we called her and then headed out and worked really hard and got to talk to so many people! We started by visiting a member who is 20 and he is friends with the YSA leader for the Stake and we saw the name Georgiev on the list of people to visit but we didn't remember that we had met him and so he opened up his door and we totally recognized him! He is an interesting guy and it was fun to get to know him better. They live out in a huge field and when we did a full 360 degrees turn, all we could see were wide open fields and pretty trees! I would love for you to see it someday because it is amazing, especially in person! Then we tried to visit a guy who neither of us had met or seen before named Otto and he is a member but hadn't been visited by missionaries in a really long time. Brother Fucito is the Elder's Quorum secretary and he wants us to find the members that haven't been contacted in a long time to see if they even still live there or want contact with the Church. We have already found a few single members that want visits but just can't come to Church. We had a very pretty drive and then Elder Caccioppoli told me something sad. He said that his 93 year old Grandpa passed away yesterday because he was just so sick and had many health challenges. He said that he is glad that his Grandpa doesn't feel pain anymore and he was happy that he could live to 93 years old! Elder Caccioppoli told me that he didn't know him very well but was mostly sad for his Dad who was having a tough time. I love how Elder Caccioppoli just keeps pushing forward and sees the bigger picture! Today was such an exciting day with everything that happened and that we all got to see and do this last week! I love you with all my heart and I'm so very proud to be your Son and Brother! You make me so happy all of the time and motivate me to be the best that I can be! LOVE & MISS YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!
Tuesday was so great too! District meeting seems to come around quicker and quicker and I feel like we were just having one yesterday! Funny how fast time goes! I was really excited to get your email this morning and I was so happy that you all had a great day! I thought it was really cool that you set the date in the countdown clock! I was thankful to hear when you all get out of school for Christmas break! I wasn't sure if December 19th would be a day off our not and that thought crossed my mind that they would have school up until Friday. I was looking through the pictures that you sent again and you all look so happy and I'm so glad that you are all doing so well! We got to study and then we drove to Ledgewood for our meeting and it was really good! Our district leader, Elder Broberg is really funny and is from Maple Mountain! During my morning studies, I was reading President Nelson's conference talk about the literal gathering of Scattered Israel and how each of us is a part of this great work! It reminded me of the 10th Article of Faith:
"10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaical glory."
It is really fun to think that we get to gather Israel and that we have the great opportunity to live in this last dispensation! I just keep thinking how blessed I am to have been born into a strong, loving, and supportive Family and that I am able to share this message of peace and happiness with others and help them see the joy that comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It was a really hot day today and it was some of the hottest weather we have had this whole summer. It got up to 95 degrees and I checked your weather and it was so much cooler! I bet it was nice to be in the 60s! I noticed that it got down to 44 this morning and so I bet you woke up chilly! Brrrrrr! It was so hot here that we had a heat advisory and the humidity was unusually high. After we had District Meeting and had some lunch, we went to visit the Marvin Family and set up an appointment with them! I do have some more exciting news! I got a response from President Hess and he said that he already knew about my release date and he approved it as soon as he found out from Sister Naylor a few weeks ago when she gave me the option and so we are all good to go! It all fell into place so nicely and I'm so grateful for the leaders of the mission for being so on top of things! While tracting, we met a really nice couple in their 80s and they live in this peaceful part of Ogdensburg and they were sitting on their front porch just enjoying life! It was neat to see 2 people that have been married for a while enjoying the outdoors! I love simple things like that! We talked with them and they said that they were "content" with the way their lives are going and didn't see a need to join any other Church. So we continued up the road a ways and talked to lots of people and they were starting to come home from work and so we hit a goldmine of people to talk to!!!!
Wednesday was a very awesome day! Good luck in your Football games today! I will be cheering loud for you! I hope that you can win your Football games and have lots of fun playing with your teamates! I realized something so very cool today! Since I will be coming home on December 19th, I get to fly out with Elder Lusk and Sister Smith!!! It should be a pretty big group and I'm hoping to go home with lots of other New York missionaries that I know! It will be cool to fly home with somebody that I know and someone from our Stake! I was really excited about my interview with President Hess and it is always such a pretty drive to Morristown! I am always extra careful when I drive on the freeway and make sure to be safe! So we took off for Morristown after our studies and since this was Elder Caccioppoli's exit interview, his went for a half an hour from 12:40-1:10 and then mine started right after that! We are working extra hard and Elder Caccioppoli feels the pressure of how much time he has left and so we are working extra hard to find more people to teach and teach everyone we can! I just love this area and the many cool people that we get to meet and teach! Being a missionary is so rewarding and I love testifying to people of the things I know to be true! My interview went SO well with President Hess and he asked me if I had talked to Sister Naylor about my release date and he said that he had approved it! He wanted to make sure that Sister Naylor knew about it and I said that she had already sent the release date sheets and he was really happy that she was so on top of things! He was happy that I received a clear answer and was happy to hear about my decision! It was so awesome to meet with him and he encouraged me to keep up what I am doing and keep working hard! He is such a great guy and was grateful that everything worked out with my date! I was very grateful that he had already known about it and was on board with either decison! It couldn't have gone any better and I was so thankful for the chance to talk to him! He thought it was a good idea to go back to school and was really supportive of my decision!
Thursday was such an awesome day and what made it even better was that I found out that Brandon won his Football game! Thank you SO very much for sending me an email! Our day went really well today and we got a text from the Clinton Elders and Elder Broberg asked if we could go on a split tonight! They asked us to meet them halfway and they said that I would go into Clinton for the day with Elder Broberg. Clinton is a lot more spread out and there aren't as many people that live there and so they are having a hard time finding people to teach. Elder Caccioppoli and I had some great studies and we got our weekly planning all done before Daniel drove to our apartment to drive us around for the day! He really is such a nice guy to do that for us and it saves so many miles on our car! So at 1:00, we hopped into his car and he drove us around to visit some single sisters in our area that we normally wouldn't be able to visit. We started with visiting Sister Di Corcia and she has had some health challenges and is starting to go blind and so she can't come to Church and so we try to visit her when we can to "bring Church to her" in a sense! We really enkoy visiting with her because she has lots of cool stories when she was a little girl in Idaho going to primary and helping out on the farm! After our lesson with her and Daniel, we went to visit a few less active members but none of them were home besides one member and he told us that we showed up at a bad time and so we met him and then headed out for more work! Daniel had to be home earlier than usual today because he had to pick up some of his older siblings that were flying into Newark airport from Spanish Fork and so we enjoyed spending time with Daniel and doing lots of work with him! After dinner, we had a few hours for tracting before we got to drive up to meet the Clinton Elders for our split! Tracting went so well and we had a guy call us over and so we happily went over and talked to him! He told us that he was 70 years old and was Protestant and loves learning about other Churches! He asked us what made us different and asked us why anybody would ever convert to our Church and so we taught him about the Book of Mormon and he was really interested in Joseph Smith! It was one of the last people that we talked to and it was such a great way to end the day! We drove go Floudners New Jersey to split and I had my overnight bag packed and was really excited about the split and was excjted to serve with Elder Broberg! I was thinking about each of you so much and was so excited about Brandon's game and that he won! I love and appreciate each of you so very much and I'm so grateful for each of you! LOVE YA TONS!!!!
Friday was a very awesome day! I hope that you all had an amazing and fun Friday and are looking forward to a 3 day weekend! I was excited to think that the Aggies played and couldn't wait to hear how they did and to hear if Parker had a Football game! I thought about you a lot today and was sending lots of well wishes and hugs your way! I spent the whole day in Clinton with Elder Broberg and we had a great day! It was so very busy and we were running around all over the place but Elder Broberg and I had a great day! He is from Mapleton Utah and went to a semester at UVU before coming on his mission and he has been out for 8 months now. We started the day by going to visit a few of their investigators that they met tracting and then we went tracting and had lots of success finding people at home! We met this one lady and we introduced ourselves and Elder Broberg and I both thought that she said "You came over at a really bad time" but instead she said "You came over at a really great time!" and started to cry. She broke down and just couldn't believe that we were on her door sharing a message about peace because she said that her Brother just passed away and was so hard on her. She asked us to come back next Friday because she was really interested to hear more! It started to pour rain but luckily we had our umbrellas and stayed dry but almost everyone asked us "What are you doing out in a storm like this???" We talked to lots of people about their belief in Jesus Christ has helped them and then we gave out a few copies of the Book of Mormon! Then we unlocked the Church for some of their members and helped them set up for a baptism of an 8 year old member of the Clinton Ward and then rushed over to Costco for dinner with a member! Her name is Sister Talmo and she is from Brazil and bought us a huge pizza for just the 2 of us! It was really yummy and then we rushed back to the apartment to grab my items that I brought for my split and then we quickly drove over to Flanders to meet up with the other Elder and then we drove back to Franklin! WOW! It was a busy day and we talked to tons of people and really enjoyed getting to know each other! He and his Mom started a fitness company in Park City right before he left and he is excited to keep working on it when he comes home! He went to New York City before coming on his mission and so we had fun talking about the Big City and also Utah! I hope each one of you had an amazing day! Know that I'm thinking about you a lot and I love you so, so, so, very much!!!!
Saturday was amazing! I woke up and was very excited to see your email! I was sad to hear that the Aggies lost but was excited that they kept the game so close! I was thinking about you all a lot and wishing you all a very fun Saturday and cheering Parker on! We had such a great and busy day! Brother Stevenson invited us and the Sister Missionaries over for a breakfast at his house and also to have ward correlation and then he also thought it would be fun that we all made pens on a wooden lathe! Mine turned out so amazing and I can't wait to show you! So we woke up, got ready, and headed over to his house for a yummy breakfast! Sister Stevenson made us a yummy breakfast casserole and then we got to make our wooden pens on the lathe and I was really happy at how mine turned out! I did a dark wood called Cocoa Bolo and I shaved down 2 blocks of wood and had fun making my pen! It was a really fun morning and we got to talk about our investigators and getting to know the Stevenson's better! The weather was a little cloudy and it was very busy since it was a 3 day weekend! I was hoping that you got to do something really fun and are having a great 3 day weekend! I have loved reading the scriptures so much and I love feeling the spirit confirm to me that the Book of Mormon truly is the word of God! I started to read the Doctrine and Covenants and my goal is to finish reading the rest of the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants and also the Pearl of Great Price! I have been reading and studying so hard and I have also been studying the 4 pack of books that we bought. So farI have finished reading Our Heritage, True To The Faith, and Our Search For Happiness! I am in the middle of the Book of Mormon right now and I'm having fun reading Jesus The Christ! I have really picked up some good study habits that I struggled to use in High School but I'm excited to know how to better prepare and study for tests! That is another thing that I'm so thankful that I've been able to experience on my mission is learning how to study and read better! My mission has just been an incredible experience and I will be forever grateful for you letting me serve a mission! I've grown so much and I'm excited to apply the things I've learned to when I come home! I studied a lot and read a few chapters in the Book of Mormon and also the Doctrine and Covenants! You were all in my every thought and prayer and I'm so proud to be your son and Brother! I sure do love you so much!!!!! After we studied and had some lunch, we went to go tracting near where Sister Campbell lives and it was a very pretty area! I can't tell if Elder Caccioppoli is excited or anxious to go home but he isn't getting trunky even though he has 4 weeks left! It's really weird to think that I will for sure be getting a new companion in 4 weeks! Time is zooming by so fast! Wow! I realized that we are about a month away from General Conference and I'm very excited for that! I do have something cool to tell you! So I'm always trying to strengthen my faith and continue to have spiritual experiences! We are told in the Book of Mormon to pray to know if it is truly the word of God. I was reading the Book of Mormon and as I said a prayer and asked, "is the Book of Mormon true?" I received an answer many years ago that it is true but when I asked this time, after I closed my prayer, I opened up the Book of Mormon and started reading where I randomly turned to. The first 4 words that I read were on page 444 and it said "this record is true"! Isn't that so cool!?! I love how prayers are answered in such a clear way! ! Experiences like that just help me continue to build my Faith! While tracting, we met a very nice lady that works at the library and said that she has seen the Book of Mormon on the shelves and has always wondered what it was all about! She said that she recently got a divorse and so she said that it has been very hard on her. We promised and testified to her that if she reads the Book of Mormon, she will feel peace in this difficult time! It was so great to pass out a copy of the Book of Mormon to someone who really needs it! Then we got to visit a few less active members on our list and we met the son of a less active member named Freddy Curiel! We even set up an appointment with them for Sunday afternoon! It was a really great day and I thought about you a lot and sending "air hugs" from New Jersey! I hope you won your game Puck! I was thinking about you a lot Buddie!!! Love you all tons and tons!!!!
WOW! Sunday was a great and busy day! As usual, I was so very excited to read your email and hear all about everyone's week! I look forward to it so very much and reading your emails and seeing your pictures are the best part of the week! Since it was fast Sunday, they didn't have the regular meetings and so we were able to plan and study before heading off to Church! I hope that you all had an amazing Sunday and enjoyed going to Church! We had quite the exciting day in the Sparta ward! It was a very exciting day and so many changes happened! We got to meet the Stake President of the Morristown Stake and they released the Bishopric and called a new one! The whole Bishopric changed and they called the Elders Quorum President, Brother Cook, to be the new Bishop! He chose Brother Kochevar, from Utah, as his 1st councilor, and Brother Mills, also from Utah, as 2nd councilor. Then they called, Brother Asay, from Lovell Wyoming, as the new Elders Quorum President! In our Gospel Principles class, one of the members mentioned that we aren't paid in currency, we are paid in blessings. Brither Stevenson talked about how missionaries and their Families pay to go on missions but they receive many more blessings that we can imagine! It was a very cool lesson about how Christ's Church runs and operates! Then Sister Campbell invited us over for dinner tonight and so we were really excited to go over! She has a really nice patio and we enjoy sitting out there having a yummy meal and enjoying nature! She always loves feeding the missionaries and we are thankful for her! Every time we go over, I always tell her thanks from you and she tears up when she thinks about how much it means to you! She fed us a really yummy meal and made homemade, white cheddar, Mac n cheese with salad, hot dogs and kraut! She even gave us a surprise at the end! She said that she bought a whole bunch of milk and she hadn't ever heard of the brand before and when she brought it out.....guess what kind it was! Gosner's milk made in none other than beautiful Logan Utah!!! She thought it was amazing that she would buy milk from my hometown! I enjoyed a cold glass of milk from Utah while I read your email! We shared a few quotes from Elder Mckonkie's talk from April of 1985 and it was his last talk before he passed away. Sister Campbell had just joined the Church when he gave the talk but she loved it! Since it was Sunday, we wanted to do a lesson about the Sacrament and the Atonement and that was the first talk that came to mind! We then headed out to do some tracting and then I was very excited to read your email and see your pictures!!! WOW! Your email was just so very amazing and I loved every word! You sure are doing so great and I'm so happy to hear from each of you! I was so happy that Football is going so well and everyone is adjusting to their new school year! I was very happy to hear that you are all doing so well and having lots of fun too! It makes me happy when you are happy!
P.S: I just enjoyed my glass of "Logan milk" and thought of you all! It was fun to have a "taste of home
P.P.S: I just realized that all 3 members in the new Sparta Bishopric are all from Utah! Hehe!
Well my dear Family, I loved being able to write this email and I'm so excited that you are all off from work and school today! I just want to take the time to express my love and appreciation for each of you! I'm so thankful for your Love and your examples and everything that you teach me! I'm so grateful to be serving as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I'm so proud to be a member of the 1 true Church on the face of the Earth! I love you so much, all day, every day, all of the time! You make me so happy and I'm learning and growing so much! I have loved the man I've become and I'm beyond excited to see you in a few months! This is the 4th quarter, the final inning, and the home stretch! We can do this!!!!
Love You Always!
~Elder Lindberg
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