email & pics 4/22/13

Hello! That is awesome Jordanne gave a talk and went to a dance!  So exciting to hear.  I'm disappointed to hear she is moving to live with her dad though! We will miss her! I'm glad Ryan and Kristin are doing well! That is awesome Alison will be able to get to go to Florida! She will love that and totally deserves it. I hope Sister Comer gets well soon. I'm excited for Mothers day as well! We are skypeing! I will be able to call you before and be like hey get on Skype. We get to talk for about 45 minutes! I feel like if everyone is there it will be hard to talk and such, but I don't know. Whatever you want to do I am fine with! It's your day! Sister Bell is doing good. She should be coming home tomorrow. We had a few people in the ward tell us that she was super worried about us. I guess with a stroke it is hard to put your words together. So she was like "Make sure my boys don't go on dates", but she meant something like making sure we are ok and she thought we would have to move out or something. She loves us. And we love her, she is awesome. I am good this week. Hmm... Nothing funny is sticking out. We are teaching a lot of kids. The one less active lady I told you about who has changed so much. She is awesome. I don't know what happened to my Brotha from Detroit. We had called him to get the address of the hotel he was at, but he never called us back. Last week for P-Day we went to airborne. They have TVs there and that is where we heard about the thing in Boston. And yeah I heard about the thing in Texas too. Crazy! Transfers are May 22. We have interviews with President Miller tomorrow and second transfer missionaries are going to the salt lake temple on Thursday!! Can’t wait!! I am still working on being bold and testifying, but it's coming along! Hahaha the new movie joke is funny. I gave my first talk as a missionary yesterday in the 7th ward! I talked about how a mission has blessed my life. It went well! Yesterday we taught this 12 year old and put him on date to be baptized on may 11. This past week was so good! We had 8 member present lessons! The most since I've been here...and for awhile. So Elder Weight and I like to make cat noises all the time…It’s kind of weird, but its fun. 

Elder Weight with "The Marsden Bear"

Elder Alpin with "The Marsden Bear"

Fun Pictures 4/15/13

Matt & Elder Gordon who was assigned to this area for about 1-year.

Email to Dad 4/17/13

Hey! I cant open your pictures. Is there another way you can send them? I'm glad you had a good time. Sounds like fun! I have not met tyler needs. maybe sometime in the future. Make sure you read the one I send mom because that is to you too~ love you elder alpin

Elder Alpin,

it is starting out to be a wonderful day with some sunshine and warmer temps...plus it is Monday and we have the great opportunity to hear from you in some way...loved your snail mail letter, received on Saturday and the illustrations were an added bonus for sure.  It will be a busy week, really want to get out with the missionaries once or maybe even twice.  Brother Sanchez was excited to go to church yesterday since it has been 3 weeks because of conference and being out of town for Easter.  Fast and testimony meeting were good, gave the closing prayer and sunday school was great also!.

Really enjoyed the time spent in Florida with the Alpins, will add the family picture to the email and hope you can see it...not sure what the rules are for getting attachments.  it was 47 when I left Michigan and 87 when I arrived in Florida with everyday very nice.  spent most of my time just listening to everybody and enjoying the neighbors as they came by, went with scott and dad to the park one night and took grandma to get her chemo treatment one day...it was so great to see Andrew and talk with him and hug him!

Philly was awesome too, had a couple of hours on Thursday so 3 of us toured the Eastern State Penitentiary, which was the first in America and the world!  WOW...what a place!  #6 inmate was guilty of stealing a horse and his sentence was 6 cents and 2 years in prison where they were in a cell for 24 hours a day with 2 30-minute exercise breaks each day!  Al Capone was lodged here and I have a picture of that, so different than the cells of the 1800's.  rode the train from the airport and the subway from our event back to the center of town and then walked about 20 blocks back to the hotel...what a night!

Have you met Tyler Needs yet?  Be sure he is writting home to him MOM!

Love to you Son,

Dad

Email to Mom 4/15/13

On Mon, Apr 15, 2013 at 12:36 PM, Matthew Alpin <matthew.alpin@myldsmail.net> wrote:

Hi.

Sounds like you have been super busy. That is wonderful! I'm sorry to hear your class didn't go as well as hoped for. That's ok though, it happens. The Restoration and apostasy are the best to teach about! I'm glad to hear about Ryan. He is a cool kid. I know it can be scary to invite people. They can't act unless they have an invitation. We rely so much on members here to invite non members and less active. If it wasn't for them we wouldn't be successful. It's the same there. They need your help! Your invitation is one of love. What is the worst that could happen? They say no?

Mom that is so awesome you are going to go out with the sister missionaries! Make sure you don't just sit there in a lesson. Also, remember not to take the lesson away from the missionaries though. Keep it BCS (Brief, Clear, Simple). Hey I'm reading in Alma 43. Alma 26:16. I like that. I gave a blessing this week to this lady that had the craziest name. I know I did not say it right. President Monson is so cool. 

Yesterday we had dinner at the Millers in the second ward. She was telling us about how they won't make their dog do anything they haven't tried. He has a shock collar and she was like I can make it up to ten. One day her 8 year old kids wanted to try it out. The son got up to a three and the daughter to a four. Then their friend was like hey I want to try. "Without even thinking to call his mother and ask her, I was like sure why not and cranked it up to a five." After the kid was shocked he was like I don't want to do that anymore. "I realized Oh crap I just shocked the neighbor kid"Oh my goodness I was crying I was laughing so hard! You would have to have been there.

We are teaching Crystal who is less active. She has struggled with a lot of addiction. Last time we met with her it was amazing! It is awesome to see the change from the first time we met till now. She said "I want it, I want it bad" She wants to make it to the temple and change. She has changed so much its awesome. She is so awesome the progress she has made. I have to go get a hair cut. 

Sister Bell is doing better. She is in rehab but came home the other day for a little while and is doing a lot better. Transfers went well. Elder weight and I are still companions. Woot. Woot. I did write grandpa a letter. I don't really remember what I wrote. It was kinda weird. The ink didn't come out of the suit. I threw the shirt away. Yes I laugh a lot. Things are picking up a lot with people to teach. IT is awesome. We might go to airborne for pday. I'm not sure yet. You are awesome. Thank you. Love you lots

Elder Alpin

Here are some pictures from dinner on Saturday.. :):) Oh and me and Elder Gordon. He is the one that was in his area for a year but finally he got transfered. 

Who was the best financial gooruu in the Bible?

Noah because his stock was solid while the rest of the world's was liquidated. 

Email to Dad 4/1/13

No I haven't gotten a bike yet. Hopefully today! Yes My companion is going to Sunday afternonn.:)

On Mon, Apr 1, 2013 at 8:58 AM, Tom wrote:

Hello Matt,

you should have your "happy birthday" package today!  Hoped that Easter was another awesome day for you.  We spent time at the Campbells and it was a nice sunny day, a little windy, but still a great day.  The kids were having so much fun with the Easter Penguin that showed up and was hiding little gifts.  The weather is starting to break but we woke to a little snow this morning with temps in the 20's again...where is spring?  before you know it we will be in the middle of summer!

not much going on here in Michigan...looking for a great week.  We are gathering pictures to have printed and will send them this week sometime...I hope!

Love and miss you son,

your Dad

p.s.  did you get a bike yet?  will your companion get to go to the conference center for conference?

Letter to Mom 4/7/13

Letter to Dad 4/7/13

Pictures 4/5/13 Birthday & More

Birthday Surprise from the district!

At the Temple

It's my birthday?  Yep, and there is cake too?

Watching Conference with the newbees

Email 4/5/13

Hey Mother! 

President Miller called me on Saturday while we were doing a baptismal interview for one of the sister's investigators. He just told me my grandpa wasn't doing good and gave me the two options. I chose to write him. I was hoping I had grandmas email, which I do at the house but I forgot it. I will write him a letter. I am glad to hear that dad went. I'm surprised, but that is good. I have been praying for him. Aww I know my girl got released! I will miss hearing from Elaine Dalton. Is Staci the one who is LDS? That is nice of you. I'm glad my room is going to good use. Well that was nice of President Miller to speak so nicely of me. I am doing awesome. I loved my easter box and birthday box! Thank you so much. I gave everyone in my district a picture of Jesus! I do love my CD. Thank You! I don't think my companion likes it as much, but that is ok. I watched conference at the Holmes' on Saturday and the Gilbert's on Sunday morning, then when my companion went to Sunday afternoon session so I went with another companionship to their area to a member's home. All the conference talks were wonderful! I liked the one about the priesthood Saturday morning. Teaching is going alright. We are looking for more people to teach. No mustache moments yet. Watching conference as a missionary is the same. I had more questions to look for because I wanted some of our investigators questions to get answered. It's crazy how many missionaries there are out and that will be out in the future! It's awesome. 

That picture of Jesus Christ looks so nice on my desk. Tuesday out district went to the Draper temple and it was wonderful! Here is a picture and two other from last week that I forgot to send! So every morning we have zone work out at one of the churches. We went to our stake center and the fire alarm was going off and in one of the foyers it smelt like something was burning. So the stake president came with an electrician. Thankfully there was no fire or anything. So yesterday Elder Binger (the missionary I was with while his companion was coming back from conference and mine was going to conference) were at our house doing companion study. Sister Bell was on a walk with a friend and they came back because Sister Bell wasn't really making any sense with what she was saying. Her friend called Sister Bell's son. We had to get going so we left. When we came back there was a note that they took Sister Bell to the hospital for stroke like symptoms and we talked to the neighbor and I guess she was having little seizures too when she got to the hospital. She isn't going to be coming home until Wednesday. It's kinda scary. I hope she is ok because she is just the sweetest lady. 

Here is a scripture for you 1 John  4: 18-20. If you love people you are willing to share the gospel with them. If you fear and don't  but say you want to you are lying because if you really loved them you would be a missionary and invite them to act. I like that. :)

K here are some pictures. My birthday cake the sisters made me, my easter basket from the Holmes', our district at the temple, and a picture with the prophet! 

Hey so I realized I haven't told you about my district so I will even though transfers are wednesday and it will probably change. You already know my companion Elder Weight, then there is Elder Gordon from California. He has been in the same area for a year! He is training Elder Binger who came out the same time as me. He is from Pittsburgh  Then there is Sister Sparish from Louisiana. She is training Sister Leavitt from Mesa, AZ. Sister Leavitt is waiting for her visa to Argentina. She came out like two weeks after me. So yeah.. thats my district.

You are awesome! Remember  who you are and whose you are! Love you lots. Enjoy your day. Staci and her son is a great missionary opportunity! 

Love Elder Alpin