February 23, 2015

Elder Westrup says very little in his letters.

He mentioned in his last email that he and his companion moved apartments to be with a member. Which means he's serving in a different ward. And then he spent a picture of snow. He's a man of many words, but few typed words.

February 16, 2015

Dear Mom,

I am sorry you aren't feeling well :/ I wish I could help with something. Things are picking up again.

I am glad you got my Valentine. A sister in the ward has a card making club and she gave me a couple to send out. I saw the Mackrorys and they told me about your vday gift to dad. I am excited for you. Unfortunately not much to say this week. We are staying this transfer.

 

love ya 

Richard

February 10, 2015

Hey Mom

I am doing great!!! Our only current investigator Sam has been struggling a lot not with commitments or anything, he is just getting kicked out of his house his car is breaking and lots like that. But we might be teaching a recent convert's daughter tomorrow which will be awesome. He is super cool. He would be at church but he had drill last weekend and I know how that goes. I have been emailing Jamison but he doesn't email me as much as he does Oma (but then again I am not as faithful in replying as I should be). I am excited for Courtney and Jacob and their prospective parentage. I am rooting for July 8th as the birth date. Well love you. Have a stupendous week.

I made the pen at a less actives house that I helped whilst on exchanges. He is super cool. He has a wood shop the size of an apartment; really cool. The drawing is just a doodle while I was in sacrament meeting. It is just the mountains and some trees and legs and the symbol on the pants is just like my signature. I'll send more pictures of my sketches so you can see it clearer. Sacrament Meeting was amazing. The former Bishop (Ashby) and his wife spoke on Family History and it just really spoke to me on how important a temple marriage is. But yea I am glad you are receiving the much needed rain there. I fear for Longmont. It hasn't snowed a lot since I have been here which isn't good. I mean it is winter and it feels like summer.

Sorry I didn't reply the to that long email it was just very intimidating. I don't know why but I just don't like writtng in the least. We had 21 dinners sign up yesterday I was super excited although I might not be here for most of them because of transfers. Who knows? But yea I believe the ward really really likes us which is awesome!!!! My Companion is from Aloha, Oregon (a suberb of Portland), He really likes classic cars and trucks and worked on them for a living back home. He has one transfer left and will be going home to attend BYU - Idaho he already has 2 years there and hopes to graduate with an auto machanices degree.

Not really sure what else to say

Love Elder Westrup

An Update of Westrup Proportions

Unlike me (who was quite the entertaining letter writer if I do say so myself), the men in my family quite fail at producing any sort of informative correspondence. And so with that, it's unfortunately fallen to me to glean something out of my younger brother's meager emails home to regale his friends and family with his life as a missionary. So far, what we've mostly learned is that he has abominable typing skills. Also, personally I've learned that he is throwing his whole heart into doing missionary work. He cares for the members and the people he's teaching very deeply. He's learned more than words can express, and his humility has grown deeper. So without further ado, a few of his meatier emails home, and a whole lotta pictures. -Rebekah

October 20, 2014
Hey mom 

i am doing well i wrote you a letter and sent it off, it should get there soon. my companion and i are doing better then last transfer. i sent you some awesome pictures just recently of a flint lock musket and some skrimshaw that a recent converts husband made btw she has a cowboy room with a john wayne movie poster thing i need to get my picture taken with it. umm i am driving this transfer because i want to. in my next package if you could send one of my hats to help with the sun during service that would be much appreciated. other than that there is not much new we had stake conference and there was a video broadcast from salt lake elder bednar and elder scott spoke it was very good. dad told me you guys are praying for me to find new investigators and i really appreciate that. if you want to pray for one there is ping chung she isnt an investigating yet she aplied to byu to be a teacher but i dont know if she is interested learning about the gospel she already knows tons about the church . umm yea that is all i can think of this week love ya bye!! 

 

Zone Conference perhaps? I'm not sure

 

November 17, 2014

 

Hey Mom 

     I am doing very Well. We had a baptism right afterwards i will send you some pictures of that later i didnt have my camera at the time. Elder Baxter is amazing he is from Scotland. his testimony is amazing. There is also a lady in my ward Named Lucy Thompson she is amazing has a Great spirit every one calls her Grandma because she essetially is the grandmother of all of Laramie Every one loves her She reminds me kinda of Granny. i dont know what else to say love You mom. 

                    Your Favourite son, the golden heir with golden hair, 

                                                           Elder Westrup 

 

A member and his wife that Elder Westrup and his companion were teaching- the Lee's

One of Elder Westrup's companions (I think... again, I've been given so little details. So one can only guess at these things)

This tender little missionary from California's first snow

He's quite cold.

The Christmas tree he wanted for their apartment

The Zone Leader's Christmas tree

His and his companion's Christmas tree

This sweater shrunk in the wash. Elder Westrup, ever to the rescue, helped by stretching it back out again.

He's now transferred back to the ward next to his first area. He's sad about it, but glad to be back so close to the members he first loved.

Not how I would display my art, but hey. Also, I appreciate the un-cropped version of Hofmann's Portrait of Christ. I taught our young grasshopper well.

 

 

December 1, 2014

 

i am just not very good at typing and so i try and avoid it as much as possible, i am sorry:/  the area is doing great. we have 2 investigators (sister Lee And Sister Ransom) that are coming more often then their husbands who are members we are working with members to get all of them to church. At Sister Thompson's house I had the oppurtunity to bare my testimony on my Favourite Scripture, that was Jesus wept. It reminded me i am not here for myself i am here for my Saviour and my God any faults or handicaps The lord will help me get over them because it is his work and he wont let the faults of man stop it he will help man overcome them and prove himself there with miracle of making man better.

Working Out 5/5/2014

Dear Mom and Dad and Family,

 

It is my first Fast Sunday here and church doesn't start until 1pm. I am hungry. How are you guys doing? Are Roland and Rachel excited for school to be out? How are Roger and Rebekah? And Russell, Crystelle and the kids?  We have a new investigator, his name is B and is in his late 40's. He has a young daughter named M. He has a testimony of Christ and wants to come closer but isn't sure how. We invited him to read the Book of Mormon and pray to knowof it's truthfulness.

 

 

President Brown also set new standards ofr the mission. No zone gatherings on preperation day(now referred to as pday), districts have to get permission to gather. We aren't allowed to use the car on pday except to shop or email. (Yes, we are in a brand new Jeep Compass with less than 2000 miles). We aren't allowed to email in the same building as another companionship and last of all music is restricted to only what you would hear in sacrament meeting. So not even the Mormon Tabernacle Choir because all their CD have an orchestra. Elder Hanson says emergency transfer are going to skyrocket so we might not be a companionship as long as we thought we would, but that is soley predicated on whether or not President Brown sees me as an (exceptional I think, I can't read his writing) missionary.

 

The work is not just physically draining but spiritually draining also,never have I exercised the spirit this much So I have something else that has to get in shape now.

Elder Westrup

PS I got your package with the fruit rollups.

PPS Happy May the Fourth

4/30 First day in the Lord's Vineyard

Dear Mother and Father,

Today was my first day in the Lord's vineyard! Guess what I did? I pruned grapevines for a member. I learned something but it is hard to explain without being present. We met as a district for training and met a family from South Africa. I told them about Sister M. serving there but I didn't know her maiden name. 

We visited the relief society president. She is older and super nice. She gave a the names of a lot of people to meet. The ward mssion leader is awesome.

It is so windy out here, Mom would not like it.I get to use the fleece and my gloves from Claire. They are warm. I am well fed and living righteously.

The are really nice! We have brand new ones because the sisters had bed bugs. My trainer is Elder Hanson. He is an English major. He is 21 months in the field so he is close to going home. Oh yeah. . . we are in member housing. We live upstair in a nice room. I totally feel spoiled. The Lord has really blessed me, you are all in my prayers.

Love, Elder Westrup

A few pictures

Elder Westrup with the Elders of Natomas III Ward shortly before he left for the MTC.

Elder Westrup's MTC companion Elder Brazell

The cliché, but always appropriate, mission location map picture at the MTC

The spire of the Provo temple

We were informed that this bandage was a was the result of a wrestling injury. ** (editor's note: needless to say, this type of thing did not happen whilst I was in the MTC in the sister's dorms. -Rebekah)

The view from the plane

 

Elder Westrup arriving in Denver!

Elder Westrup's bed

Elder Westrup's desk