The South Side: March 2013

Hi. HI. HI. HI.
I enjoyed that package thank you! I got it last Monday. Yes I get mail after email. I told you that last week silly goose. You didn't send any mail!? Whaaaatt? Girl you crazy. I love getting mail. Happy Easter to you too! Missionaries are so cool. So many kids out here get their mission calls like every week. One kid we know got his to California. There is two families I like a lot. The Holtrys and the Holmes. They are just really cool people. We don't door knock all that often. Nothing crazy has happened. Teaching is going good. I have not given a talk yet. I think transfers are the week after conference. I feel like I'm going to stay here and I hope I still have my companion. In the weekly announcements they have missionary birthdays for the week so yes people know. We don't have any plans yet. We love your jokes! Easter we are having dinner with the Holmes. No Easter bunny!? Whaattttt. He doesn't just retire.

Here are two pictures. One of them is our district. So I bought some new pens that have caps, not the clicky kind. So I put it in my suit pocket with the cap off so it would be quicker to use. Then at the end of the day I take off my jacket and I have ink alll over my shirt and suit! I defiantly have to get it dry cleaned today! Love you all so much. Everything is great here. I went on some exchanges this week and am trying to work on being more BOLD and testifying more. Oh my goodness!! I met a brotha from Detroit! We were leaving an appointment and he was just coming to the door as we were leaving because he was selling reading material. We talked to him for like ten minutes. He is living in Provo, but we got his number. We are going to have missionaries get him baptized! Then! Let me just tell you how awesome my companion is. It was cold that day and a couple of hours we saw Ron again (that was the guys name). He was only walking and didn't have a very warm coat. So we stopped and my companion gave Ron his coat. He has another one though so don't worry. Anyways love you allllllllll BY.

ELDER ALPIN

P.S. Will you guys send me pictures via mail of your beautiful faces and alison, ryan and his family, and andrew and his family. I need to brag about my nieces and nephew.s. THANKS

Saturday, March 23, 2013

email to Dad 3/18/13

Hey DAD!

I will look out for an Elder Needs. Thanks for all the great quotes! Hey could you send the priesthood lineage in the mail please. I can't open it on the computer for some reason. Thank You! I have to get running though.. Love you!

Elder Alpin

On Sun, Mar 17, 2013 at 9:39 PM, TOM ALPIN wrote:

17 March 2013

Hello Son,

Yes, it is St. Patrick’s Day and no we did not go to Clare for the parade! The weather was not at all like last year and of course your Mom had to work...as for me...well I did sleep in, still recovering from that fall last week.

Talked to Tyler Needs in church today, actually he gave a talk that was really touching, the Spirit was so strong as he bore his testimony! Anyway, he leaves on the 27th for the MTC so you might meet him in about 4 weeks or so. He will be a nice addition to your mission area.

Also had great Sunday School and Priesthood lessons today and here is a quote from the Priesthood lesson from The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow...
“The child grows from childhood to boyhood, and from boyhood to manhood, with a constant and steady growth; but he cannot tell how or when the growth occurs. He does not realize that he is growing; but by observing the laws of health and being prudent in his course he eventually arrives at manhood. So in reference to ourselves as Latter-day Saints. We grow and increase. We are not aware of it at the moment; but after a year or so we discover that we are, so to speak, away up the hill, nearing the mountain top. We feel that we have faith in the Lord; that His providences are always beneficial; that we are connected with Him; that He is actually our Father, and that He Leads us along in life.

Do not expect to become perfect at once. If you do, you will be disappointed. Be better today than you were yesterday, and be better tomorrow than you are today. The temptations that perhaps partially overcome us today, let them not overcome us so far tomorrow. Thus continue to be a little better day by day; and do not let your life wear away without accomplishing good to others as well as to ourselves.

Each last day or each last week should be the best that we have ever experienced, that is, we should advance ourselves a little every day, in knowledge and wisdom, and in the ability to accomplish good. As we grow older we should live nearer the Lord each following day.”

Reminds me of the saying “Inch by Inch...Life’s a cinch, but yard by yard...life is hard!”

Hope you can share some of your daily routines and the people you are teaching, what your living quarters are like and all that stuff. I have been thinking a lot about your question concerning being inactive and will write about that soon, but for now think about how your were before I lost my job and before you started taking the missionary lessons and attend church and seminary. Then compare it to how you are now, how happy you are in the gospel and then bear your testimony to them about how you can see the difference not only in yourself but in your parents with the influence of the church, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. Your Testimony is one of the most powerful parts of who you are and what you are doing.

I Love you so much and know with all my heart that our Father in Heaven is watching over you and leading you in all that you do .

Dad

Sister Bell likes Elvis PICS

And my companion got a package from his sister for his one year so he is opening it.

And I am pumping gas at the Maverick.

Sister Bell likes Elvis.

Pictures of MTC

email to Mom 3/18/13

March 18^th – email to Mom

The atonement is seriously like the coolest thing. When I took the sacrament yesterday I felt the spirit so strong. I'm so grateful for Jesus Christ.

ahaha that first joke was a good one!! I don’t get the chicken one. Last P-day we went to airborne. It is a place with a whole bunch of trampolines. It was fun! It has been so nice and hot here.

What kind of bed did Jesus have? A King-sized bed.

ha-ha my companion just told me that one. Oh here are some pictures.. I've been trying to take more! There is a whole bunch from the MTC... Kinda late sorry. Love you.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Picture & Email Home 3/11/13

Hello Hello Hello! How is your day going? Oh my goodness I'm sorry to hear about your fall! I will pray for you. This week has went by so fast! Guess what! Last Monday I invited my first person to be baptized and he said he wants to. Things have really picked up this week with teaching people. It has been pretty beautiful this week. Hey ask uncle Scott if he knows any Weights because my companion lives in Warren, Indiana and its in the Fort Wayne stake. This weekend the stake had a musical narration thing called the Apostle Project. We were trying to invite people to it. Yesterday we went to dinner at the Brown's. They are so awesome I love them. I guess for every holiday they go all out for dinner. And so we had a St Patrick's Day dinner with green food and drinks and Irish music playing in the background. They had to have it a week early because on Wednesday their daughter leaves for her mission to Orlando, Florida. Their neighbors just moved in and aren't active and they call the Brown's their crazy Mormon neighbors. Sister Brown was like "I don't know why they think that." The dinner explained it all. It was awesome though and their living room reminds me of the temple I love it. We had exchanges on Thursday and my companion went to a different area and I stayed in our area with Elder Williams. It was weird though because I kind of had to take the lead because it was my area. Elder Williams served here like 6 months ago so he knew the area pretty well which is good. I'm so excited for general conference! I don't get to go to the conference center. You have to be out a certain amount of time to go and I haven't been out long enough. It's funny when people ask me how long I've been out and I tell them and they're like oh my gosh! Your so new and green! Then they will ask where we are from. My companion will say Indiana and the person doesn't say anything and then when I say Michigan they are like "Oh so you're used to the cold." It's just funny because Indiana and Michigan are right by each other and have the same weather. From October general conference till April's we always have to wear our suit jacket so I'm excited for after general conference when I don't have to wear it anymore. Miracles are defiantly happening! In Ether 12:12 I really like that scripture. Miracles won't happen unless you have the faith that they will. Hey so since you both have been pretty inactive during your lifetime what do you think an inactive person needs to hear to help them want to go back. We run into a lot of inactive people and I don't know what to say to them. I haven't taken hardly any pictures.. I don't know what to take them of.. I went to get one of us at the browns and my camera died! So this is from Elder Weights camera. Love you all lots!! :):) Send me pictures :)

This picture is of dinner at the Browns. :)

Love,

Elder Alpin

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Andrew Alpin wrote on your timeline.

"Happy birthday Matt"

Rebecca Poulsen wrote on your timeline.

"Happy Birthday Matt! I hope you had a lovely day :) "

Anna Marie Mater wrote on your timeline.

"Happy birthday!!"

Kasandra Liske wrote on your timeline.

"Happy birthday!!"

Carol Alpin wrote on your timeline.

"Happy Happy Birthday grandson. Your card will be in the mail tomorrow. Love lots."

Share Rel You wrote on your timeline.

"happy birthday Matt!"

Kim Alpin wrote on your timeline.

"Happy Birthday Matt!!"

Rebekah Pierce wrote on your timeline.

"Happy Birthday Matt!!!! I hope you're having a wonderful time on your mission!!! :)"

LeeAnne Comer wrote on your timeline.

"Happy birthday, Matt!!! I hope you are having an amazing day! We are all so proud of you and I, for one, miss your HUGE SMILE!!!!"

Ali Rackley wrote on your timeline.

"Happy Birthday Matt! Hope you are loving your mission ♥"

Sarena Marie Ridley wrote

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT! ♥"

Bruce Trace David Shannon wrote

"Matt!! Happy birthday dude, hope your loving life like always."

Abigail Bothwell wrote on your timeline.

"Happy birthday matt!! Miss you!!:)"

Dani Campbell wrote on your timeline.

"Happy Birthday, Matt! "

Lauren Piper wrote on your timeline.

"Happy birthday Matt!"

Scott Alpin wrote on your timeline.

"Happiest of wishes your way on your special day!"

Kaleb Esquerra wrote on your timeline.

"Happy Birthday"

Bill Comer wrote on your timeline.

"Happy Birthday Matt. Hope you are having a great time!"

Janice Shontae Jones wrote

"Happy Birthday Matt!!! "

Ashley Kleinhardt Kruskamp wrote

"Happy birthday!!!!!!"

Kimmy Craven wrote on your timeline.

"Happy Birthday Elder Alpin!!"

Billie Threet wrote on your timeline.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT. BE SAFE."

Noelle Warner wrote on your timeline.

"happy birthday MATT!"

Kelsey Casebere wrote on your timeline.

"Happy Birthday!"

Brent Schindler wrote on your timeline.

"Matt, thinking of you as you are doing GREAT THINGS on your mission! "

Amber Kramer wrote on your timeline.

"Happy birthday toaster strudel !!!!! (: Miss u bunches! Hope all is going well!! "

Linda Ray wrote on your timeline.

"Happy Birthday from Anna's Aunt"

Anna Foerster wrote on your timeline.

Kristina Rose Johnson wrote

"Happy Birthday Matt :)"

Sue Vennix wrote on your timeline.

"Happy Birthday!!"

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Monday, March 11, 2013

"Happy Birthday Matt!!!
"

"Happy birthday toaster strudel !!!!! (:
Miss u bunches! Hope all is going well!! "