Monday, August 26, 2013

Glendale week 2 *August 26, 2013 pictures

grocery shopping (milk and frosted flakes)

Phoenix Temple

 Calling home from the airport!!!

On our way to Phoenix

Elder Pettingill's creepy selfie while I sleep haha


Glendale week 2 *August 26, 2013

Hey everyone!! It has been a great week for me! There are so many little moments that go on that make all the hard times bareable. Like there was this one night that I woke up at 2:00 AM aftering hearing my companion yell and freak out as he ran out the front door. I was so scared and had no idea what was going on. In my half awake sleep mode I ran to the door to find my companion standing outside in nothing but his garmets! He had my towel wrapped around his waist and his church shoes on and tied hahaha I asked him what in the world he was doing outside in no clothes. He proceeded to explain to me in a slurr of words that he had millions of spiders all over him and that was the only way to get them off!!! hahaha He had no recolection of the event in the morning. I dont know if he blocked it out on purpose or if he was sleep walking...

 There are little things that I find so odd about Arizona. Like for some reason people tend to have two of the EXACT same car in their driveways. We have seen about 9 houses that have this. Also we have found that people use little rocks as grass and they use bigger rocks as plants. They still feel the need to water them too. One day we were on our way to a lesson and were headed down a street and heard gun shots. The both of us were out of there faster than anything in the world hahaha I was so freaked out hahaha

 I have also found a new appreciation for mothers because shopping for food is so hard and stressfull!! I have no idea how they do it so often. I just go in and buy whatever I see that looks good hahaha I never have planned meals .

The days feel like weeks and the weeks go by in what seems like a day. I look back on sundays and I have no idea where the week went. Speaking of Sunday everyday in sacrament meeting there is a little girl that sits in front of us and every week she completely covers her face in stickers hahah its so great. We have been getting fed dinner almost every night. Its really nice to have a home cooked meal. But all they cook us is lasagna!!! I have had it 7 times in the past 2 weeks!! I hope I never have it again hahahaha but it sure is good and a hearty meal so I dont complain too much haha. There is this one family that feeds us all the time, They are the Rowe family, and they have a little 4 yr old boy named Curtis who is insane!!! He never stops talking and moving and yelling. He is literally like the Energizer bunny in the body of a little boy.

 The spiritual side of my mission is going so great! we teach lots of lessons and talk to so many people on the streets. As we talk we try to set up a follow up appointments but they usually just say they are not interested or if they say yes they dont answer the phone when we call. We have only had one person run from us screaming "ITS THE MORMONS" so thats good hahaha I have learned so much about my abilities to teach and how I want to be seen as a missionary. There are all these liitle saying and phrases that really help. Like "we are born to be a warrior of light with the power of God" or "if you want more blessings in the gospel... share it" These little phrases really remind me of just who we are and the responsibility we have as members of the church. You can all be misssionaries in you own lives and should always look for an opportunity to shre the light you have. I am really falling in love with the people we teach and care about the bond they have with their Father in Heaven. I cannot wait to continue to grow and have this desire to keep progressing.
I am really not that short!! Elder Pettingill is 6'6
 I love you all.
 Until next week.
 Elder Cole Safford

Monday, August 19, 2013

Glendale week 1 *August 19, 2013


Hey Everyone!!!
They have shipped my down south to La Loma In and around Glendale. The first day I was so nervous to meet my trainer because I really wanted someone who knew the doctrine well. So the new missionaries and the trainers were all sitting in this big room and one by one the mission president called a new missionarry up in alphabeticle order and then assigned them to a trainer and an area. I was called to train with Elder Pettingill. He is 6'6" so it looks really funny when we stand next to each other hahaha but he is super enthusiastic and he is really great at training. We got back to the apartment and is was a bomb!! hahaha it was so gross. I made him take the day to clean it up because it was absolutly gross. I know so not like me right?! haha But we have been making real progress with the investigators that he had previous to me coming into the field. They are all really close and I love them all already. The ward family is so strong in the gospel. There are so many great families that always want us over to have food or just to bless their home with our "presence". I really love going into a families home because it just reminds me of my own home and the love that we share there.
The weather here is actually really nice and not at all how everyone talks about it. It is a miracle that I have not gotten fried yet but I guess you just dont do that here. Everyone guesses I am from Cali haha I don't know why that is. I really love talking to people and find myself always running my mouth even when they are not interested in what I have to say. I really want you all to know how much you all mean to me and how much I have grown in the past 2 weeks. I love the lord with all my heart and hope that everything is going well.
I feel so at home in the sacrament meetings. I was sitting in sacrament meeting with my head down and for a moment I found myself back in Simi sitting next to the family. I didn't dare look up or around because I didnt want to lose that special feeling I received. Sacrament meeting will be my home away from home for awhile. It's crazy that it happens that way hahaha.
I really have a soft spot for families that have tons of children and still make time for us missionaries. It is really cool to see how much we mean to them haha I would have never guessed it would be that way. I am always hungry and everynight I have the craziest dreams from the deep deep sleep that I go into from the shear exhaustion. $30 a week for food is quite difficult to live off hahaha
Just know that I am doing alright and that everything is progressing and building me stronger as a member of the church and a son of god.

Love Elder Cole Safford

Glendale *August 15, 2013

Well I was assigned to serve in the Goodyear mission. Its basically the most southern part of the whole mission. the address to send letters to is 13148 west ocotillo rd. apartment 1070 glendale, Arizona 85307. You can google it to see my exact location if you want. My trainer is elder Pettingill. He is 6'6"!! He is from Washimgton state and has only been out for 3 months. I am nervous about how the work will go but I am holding my head up and really focusing on the people. I am borrowing a bike from the ward mission leader. please. send all packages to the mission office which is the 18001 adress cause our apartment is kinda sketchy haha I can only get packages received to me about 3X a month because of the process it takes to get them. but continue to send stuff and WRITE!!! the apartment is good but a little small and i will send pictures on monday. I just wanted to write you and tell you all is going well and I am alive. I only get 10 min to write you today for that purpose. I love you all so much and am going to try and lose myself in this great work. continue to be strong and live the gospel. Dont ever lose hope. Again love you all. Elder Cole Safford
Thats the long and short of it.
Cole is on his tippy toes. And maybe a phone book too.

President and Sister Taylor from the Mission Home.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

MTC week 2 *August 9, 2013


Hey Everyone!
The MTC has been such a great experience and I have learned so much in such a short time but I am ready to go out into the Field and start sharing myself with the world. I know that I have been sent here for a reason and each day I give myself fully to the Lord is another day that I can grow closer to him and receive his blessings. We have a practice investigator named Javier Cabo and we get to treat him like he is a real investigator. We have to teach him lessons and learn how to have the spirit teach through us. We have taught him all about the restoration and the plan of salvation and he is making really great progress. He has ready the book of Mormon and prayed to know of its truth. He has committed to baptism and to pray with us in our next meeting with him. Its really great to have this practice because I know it will help out in the Field. I always hear about all this wonderful miracles happening from all the teachers about their missions and it makes me just want to go out and have that happen to me. I know that if i continually have faith in the spirit and do what is right then I will have success. Numbers are important to the Lord not for bragging rights but for the sole purpose that each individual is a son or daughter of god and they deserve to know of the gospel. Missionary work is so fun and to me it is easy because all I have to do is be my crazy self and I can talk forever hahaha. It is so easy to talk about the gospel once the spirit testifies to you that it is true. Continue to grow in your faith and trust that everything you do has a purpose and a consequence. whether good or bad. thank you for all of the support and love. It means a lot to me. The next time I will write you I will be out in Arizona!

MTC week 1 *August 2, 2013


hey everyone!
the MTC is great! the spirit here is so strong all the time. the teachers here are all so knowledgeable in the gospel. each class you go to you grow closer to the lord. we have tons of personal study time and it is really great to learn abiout the book of mormon and really disect each verse to find the meanings behind them. the west campus of the MTC is really nice. there areonly 6 elders in each apartment including myself. the dorms are really clean and big. the food is not the best because the cafeteria is under construction but they are said to improve on monday. it is deffinetly hard to stay focused for so long because i have never studies the gosple like this ever in my life. i just have to continually pray to have the spirit with me and to feel gods love for me. i know without a shadow of a doubt that this church is true. we got to simulate teaching an investigator and it was really nerve racking. but my companion elder hamilton is a great young man and together we were able to let the lord teach through us and that is a really great feeling. everywhere you walk there are other elders and sisters trying to stay in tune with the gospel and love oneanother so the atmosphere here is great. no fighting or yelling, just love of the savior. i miss my family so much but as one elder put it, i would rather be away from my family for 2 years so that others can be together for eternity. i try to stay in tune with the spirit at all times and try to focus on being the best missionary the lord can have. we dont teach the people, the spirit does. all we have to do is be worthy enough to have it come through us. love you all and i will write in one week.