11/15/11

Dear everyone:

Mom, Mary, Patrick, and Lindsey for emails and Lindsey, Jannette, David??, and Shayla for written post! :))

So I got a package from Shayla and David this week, but so far as I can tell... I got a package from Shayla this week. :P Um David, if you want real recognition in these emails you should probably write me. Haha. So in the package was a big pack of candy! And Shayla said to send a picture of us breaking into it :). Yup also in response to Mary's question, I just want a pokemon picture and I wanted to make it a contest. Whoever can send me the best (hand drawn) Poke-Picture, is going to win a pretty nice prize! :) Oh so this email is coming out on Tuesday because yesterday was transfer night! :) I am staying in Gateshead but Elder Montgomery is heading off to Leeds. I am done training! And my step father is going to be Elder Boulman! He was in my district last transfer! He was previously (or is still until tomorrow) in South Shields which is only about 15 min east of Gateshead and he is one of the funniest guys that I have ever met :) I am so exited! But I am going to miss Elder Montgomery :P Honestly, I am just glad I am not the one leaving :) Gateshead is pretty slow right now so far as areas go, but all of the people here are just so wonderful :) I am really hoping to be here when a few of these people get baptised :) But anyway g2g I will get back you y'all next week with how things are going.

Love you all,

Elder Tombs

11/7/11

Good Monday everyone :)

Especially Mom, Dad, Patrick, Mary, Tyler and Lindsey! With special thanks to Lindsey for written post, and specialer thanks to Lindsey for a wonderful package!

So this week was pretty fun. :) We didn't knock on as many doors as we normally have to so that is great :). This Saturday was Bonfire night! For those of you who don't remember what bonfire night is... join the crowd. They set off fireworks and sit around bonfires and don't like it when missionaries knock :P haha. But no we didn't do any knocking once it got to about tea time. We had appointments! So good. :) But most people are doing things on bonfire night so our appointments were with really old less actives. :P But a few of them are looking good to come back to church so that is good. :) Also, my comp got sick yesterday. :( It sounds like what I had a few weeks ago, so I think I am safe, but I do not envy him one bit. So Mary Beth, if you can't draw me a Kadabra then could you send me a Skirtle and a Geodude? in fact maybe I will make this a contest. Whoever can send me the best Poke-picture (hand-drawn) will win an amazing prize. :) But hey, times almost up G2g

Love yous,

Elder W. Tombs

10/31/11

So thank you for all of the Emails this week! (Namely from Patrick, David, Mary, Lindsey, Nana and Pappy, Alex Bauer, and Mom [with a special shout out to Alex and Becca Gifford and Nana+Pappy for written post!])

So this week was pretty fun. We had some big lows and some decent highs; that is missionary work. :) Love it! My trainer and I are getting along really well and it is sad for me to think that in just 2.5 weeks we will be split up. :P But anyway, today is Halloween and I don't have much email time, because we had some funtivities in New Castle (zone P-day by the way). So we got back a bit late and only have a bit to email. Also, my letters this week are lacking :P Sorry, the only one who is getting post back is Lindsey, but what can you do? I will write more next week, promise. :) Oh but here is something fun, I learned how to wrestle a table today. :) Yeah you set out one of those big long tables like at the church and you kneel on top of it and try to get underneath it and back on top (like full circle) without touching the ground. :) It is really fun and I got it on my first try! I felt so proud of myself (especially since I expected to look like a huge fool). :P. But I definitely recommend it. It leaves big red marks on your arms though. So just as a note, on Halloween we still work over here but we are not allowed to do any finding. So we have to have appointments. That made yesterday fun because we didn't learn that info until Saturday night and normally we avoid scheduling lots on Monday because we only have 3 hours as it is... and we don't want to loose any time to travel. But it all worked out and we have people. However, we had to make like a bagillion (misspelled) calls to set them up. :P I would mention names but every time I write about someone they drop us so I will tell you about people after they are dunked. :) Anyway g2g,

Much love,

Elder W. W. Tombs

PS Happy Halloween

PPS make Bug get better for me!

10/24/11

Dear Family, (Props to Mom, David, Patrick, Mandie and Lindsey who emailed me and a special shout out to Lindsey, Mandie (a few weeks ago oops), and the Roberts family!!!!!)

So this week was fairly slow. We had some really big highlights but last time I mentioned those they disappeared. So I will give you epic stories either after people disappear or get baptized. :) haha. Oh and congrats to Mary Beth for her job in the primary program! Anyway, this week has been really cold (or maybe it just seemed so because I had a cold :P). So today I am going in to Newcastle to buy some thermals (oh and if y'all could send the ones that I have back home (if any) on up that would be nice too. :)) And a nice scarf. :) Oh and mom, I already bought my 2ND suit. :) Yup that was weeks and weeks ago. Oh but last P-day we went to the Metrocenter! It is the largest shopping center in all of Europe! (It is probably the size of the El-Paso mall :P) But I got some new shoes. :) I got a pretty nice deal too because I got my new proselyting shoes and some winter boots together so they were only like 55£. Oh, by the way the other pair of shoes that I brought (the ones that Lindsey liked ;)) are still in mint condition. I only wear them to church and zone conferences so hopefully they last a good while. :) Anyway, I gots to get agoin

Love,

Elder W. W. Tombs

11/17/11

Dear family... (specifically: David, Patrick, Mom, Dad, Aunt Donna, Nanna and Pappy, and Lindsey)(with a special shout out to Lindsey, Jannette, Mom and Mary(ish) [just because it was your birthday and that picture of jiggly puff was so legit]) for writing me letter letters!)

So where to start? Well first off missionary work is really picking up here. We have had an extremely blessed week (as those who are expecting more specific letters will know). Oh, also here is a funny story. So while I was on exchange with Elder Clawson (last mon-tues) we taught this one Chinese lady named Sophia (Elder Clawson is a Chinese speaking missionary), and after we finished the lesson (we taught her in the library here because she lives in student housing and they don't like missionaries over there) we were walking away and Elder Clawson mentions how it was a really good lesson and that it was too bad we didn't have time to invite her to be baptized! I had totally forgotten! (Not good, because that is something we have all be asked to do is invite in the first lesson) So I said, "Oh no I forgot!" and then ran back over and extended the invitation! And she accepted! So that just goes to show what kind of blessings obedience brings. :) Yup, but that is my big story for the week. I love you all. See you next week :)

Love,

Elder Tombs

P.S. My shoes are SO thrashed! And those little gaps in the back are where my rock collection comes from. I literally rattle as I walk :P

10/10/11

Dear family (with a special shout out to Mom, Patrick, Nana and Pappy, and Lindsey and Dad,

*The people with "ands" before their names are even more special because they sent me real mail and email!

So this week has been pretty nice. It was rough in spots as those with post will figure out, but on the whole, it was pretty fun. Oh and here is a story.... So here in Gateshead there is this ice cream truck that plays this REALLY creapy song. We always hear it over the wind and it reminds us of a zombie movie like right before you see the zombies. So we have heard this song at least once a day but have never seen the truck! Until this week! It came down a street we were knocking and mutated Elder Montgumery and I into zombies! haha. Oh and to answer some of my loving mother's questions: I don't really know what the biggest high of my mission has been. There have been a few... and then all the people who caused them have dropped us. Yeah, fun stuff, but for a few highs for this week:
1. Herman came to church.
2. We had a miracle finish (as those who write me will know),
3. Elder Montgumery stepped on an extremely crunchy leaf.
That may not sound like much, but they were all miracles to some extent. (The last one too. We have had lots of rain so most of the leaves don't crunch right now.) But life here is a blast! And today I will be going on exchange. So for the next 24 hours I will be in Newcastle, which I am supper exited for! I have been on 3 exchanges and never left Gateshead. Also I will be with Elder Clawson who came out 3 weeks before I did. :) He is really funny Elder and a hard worker. But I feel like exchanges are so good! Every time we have gone on them in the past, the work has sparked! With Elder Woodside, we found 3 new investigators! With Elder Ottie we taught Hazel for the first time (and only - but it was still epic and she had accepted a baptismal date). With Elder Bowlman (misspelled) we got a few really good potentials! So I am exited to see what Elders Montgumery and Jacobsen do with our area over the next day. :) But anyway G2G
I love you all,
Elder W. W. Tombs
Oh- PS. My favorite scripture for this week is in Jacob chapter 5 and I can't remember the verse, but it says ,"What more could I have done for my vineyard?" and/or "It grieveth me to loose this tree." Yeah, sad but true. :P But such is missionary work

10/4/11

Hello there family and friends (namely Patrick, David, Mom, Dad, Nana and Pappy, and Lindsey),

So things are going pretty well here in England, but if you want truly great stories you will just have to snail mail. Hahaha bribery. I love it. Yeah, but snail mail is one of the greatest things ever here - so do it! Besides you write me, I write you, and everyone loves that feeling of looking in the mailbox and seeing a letter addressed to them. I know I did at least. And this week I have a pretty epic story involving the Zone leaders, setting a mission record, and at least 2 pineapples. Hooked? You should be, but I guess Lindsey will be the only one to hear about it :P. wuahaha! But in answer to your questions mother, no it has not been raining constantly. So far it has only been about once a week. So that was nice, but we are heading in to winter, so it is about to start picking up. But it has actually been REALLY hot this week! It is the first time in my mission I served without my jacket. And it is so humid that heat is unbearable. I am almost glad for winter. Oh and as to your other question, breakfast for me usually consists of a beef and egg burrito. I put more effort into my morning meal than most because our flat has the best shower in the mission, so Elder Montgumery usually gives me plenty of time. :) Lunch is exceptionally random. Sometimes members will give us food to take home (namely Sister/mama Ives) (for more info on that character write letters) and we will just nuke that or something else easy. But I have gotten away from horrible microwave meals. They taste great but 29 grams of fat in one go - that's ridiculous! (Try yelling that at in an English accent sometime - it is great) No I usually do something involving some type of cook-able meat and lettuce. Yeah, it is pretty intense, but I actually really enjoy lettuce now, it is crazy! But hey, I gots time constraints. g2g

Love,
Elder W. W. Tombs