Chupacabra

Hey y'all! It's been a big week.

I got the opportunity to extend a baptismal date to Jean Paul. My first! He accepted, and we finally have some investigators truly progressing. Jean Paul has apparently had a rough past according to his mother, but you would never know it talking to him. He's as gentle as a lamb. His girlfriend and Mom are going be taught too! We're going to get a family, I'm sure of it. The Lord sure loves these people, he just WILL NOT let them get away! Haha.

I have been praying for opportunities to apply what I'm learning and know people are falling into our laps. I got to go on an exchange with the APs (assistants to the president) this week as well. I was happy to learn as much as I did - and also to see that I'm being too hard on myself! I need to rejoice in my progress, because even the APs get doors slammed on them and crazy people dragging out asinine stories.

We had a guy we knocked into this week that we just didn't know what to do with. As paul would have said 'ye are too superstitious' Haha! He just wanted to keep telling us about Chupacabra and Indian graves and how his girlfriend was possesed. She was the most normal person on the whole block, I swear. He had some glow in the dark nail polish on his porch, so I thought for sure - 'gun guy' - and sure enough, when he turns around to invite us into his house, his shirt was caught on a pistol hanging out of his waistband.

I think I've probably found five or six potential investigators so far by talking about guns. A couple guys have wanted me to check out their pistols that they were particularly fond of, and just handed them to me on their front porch to show off. Texas is weird.

I went through our 12 week this week, and was one of several people to get an IPad that's non-functional. Oh well, I'm sure it will get taken care of soon. Maybe I'll get lucky and get a Samsung like all the new missionaries?

Thanks for all your letters and Emails. I love pictures! Hopefully when the tablet situation gets figured out, I'll have more pictures to share too.

Don't forget to share the gospel!

 Elder Derek Troy

District Training.  Elder Troy is back far right.  Showing some companion love with Elder Vickers.

Classes with old MTC friends Elder Chamberlain and Elder Wiese.

Role play with President Mortensen.

Hanging out after a missionary fireside for the Texas Houston Mission.  Waiting for refreshments maybe?

Lots-o-teachin' going on here!

Hey Everybody! Sorry the contact has been so weak the last couple of weeks. I'll be getting a tablet on wednesday, so I'll be able to read emails at any time during the week and be able to send more emails with better pictures every week.

This week was awesome! On exchanges, Elder Pablo (from another area) and I were in our area (Spring) and found four new people! That doesn't happen much in this area. One is a family of four (three baptismal aged) I'm really excited to teach!

The other is Jean Paul. I was SO excited for Jean Paul! I got my first chance to extend a 'soft' baptismal invitation with him. Basically it's 'if you come to know these things are true, will you be baptised'? And he accepted! If we can keep teaching him I'm confident we can baptise him. However, now we're having a hard time getting ahold of him. What the heck!? We're finding people and teaching them like crazy, but they never keep their appointments!

We also went to an indoor climbing gym today for P-Day. The first cool P-Day thing we've done!

Hope all is well in sunny St. G and snowy Washington.

'til next week!

Elder Derek Troy

SNOW?! In TEXAS??? Whaaaat?

Hello!!

Here is Elder Troy’s latest letter.  Short-n-sweet, huh?  He’s obviously busy and working hard!  

He’s been out about 7 weeks now in Texas.  After 8 weeks he’ll get his own iPad and will take more pics.  After 12 weeks he’s likely going to be transferred to another location and have a different companion.  Right now he’s still with Elder Vickers.

Please continue to keep him in your prayers and don’t forget to email him once in a while.  Can’t promise he’ll email back every week, but he sure loves getting emails and U.S. Mail.  Here’s his address again if you feel the need to write.  (he loves odd socks—WHO gave him the reindeer socks?!—and when the mailbox is full!)

We love you!

JD, Terri & Family

P.S.  Anyone else get the crack about not sending warm clothes think that was directed at Mom?  I kind of wanted to send him warmer clothes but three days after their 21 degree day, it was 79!  Enjoy the video of him shivering.  Haha.

Elder Derek Allen Troy

derek.troy@myldsmail.net

26325 Northgate Crossing Blvd., Apt. #1510

Spring, TX  77373

NOTE:  The video is posted on the Facebook account and in the group email, but not on here.  Sorry!

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Hey all! 

It actually snowed here in Houston this week! I looked it up and it turns out we hit a low of 21 F. Apparently that's pretty cold for TX! I'm told it has only snowed in Houston 34 times since 1895.

With the high humidity, that made tracting pretty uncomfortable if I'm honest, haha! That’s probably the coldest I'll be on my mission though - it was very unusual!  Note: That is not a request for anyone to send me warm clothes.

We hit another record this week for sacrament meeting attendance - our goal is to get the ward split!

Not much else going on here presently. I love you all! 

Going on a mission will never be the wrong decision - for anyone wondering if they should go.

Love,

-Elder Troy

Don't let an hour pass you by...

Here's Elder Troy's latest email.  Looks like he still hasn't received his own iPad.  Hopefully next week?  It's good to hear his voice in this video.  Must have been a little sightseeing tour to see Christmas lights around town.  If this doesn't play again on the blog, please visit the Facebook page instead.  Don't know how to fix it.

Please continue writing and praying for him.  He told me to tell all of you THANK YOU for the gifts and emails at Christmas.

We appreciate and love you!

JD & Terri & Family

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Hey y'all!

This week has been pretty quiet. I did accidentally discover someone's crack pipe. We were helping them move their yard sale out of the rain and a nice blue glass crack pipe fell out of a tool chest it had been hidden in. Whoops! Never know what treasures you may find at a yard sale.

Also, get Crocked! I've been mastering crock pot cooking these last few weeks and do some mean pulled chicken tacos now.

Speaking of food, this week we got to eat some authentic Boudin (Boo-Dan) from an African-American market at a member's house. Good stuff! They sure know how to eat here.

I'd like to share a brief quote from a book I received for Christmas:

"Cynicism is an intellectual cop-out, a crutch for a withered soul, a thin excuse for inaction and retreating commitment. Do not become cynical about government or education or civic affairs or religion or the human race or the time in which you live. Do on the other hand, be appropriately concerned and actively involved."

- Jeffery R Holland “Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall”: A Look at the “Me Decade”

Never forget how precious and significant this life we have is. Never waste a second when there is something better you could be doing. Our lives are not counted in Eons or millennia, but in years. We are lucky to see 100. They say becoming an expert in something takes 10,000 hours. So don’t let an hour pass you by.

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Hello, friends!  

Yesterday we were able to see Elder Troy for the first time since he left in November.  We Skyped him with a video chat.  It was so good to see and talk with him!  He is very happy and focused on his work there in Texas.  We got all of those pesky questions answered that he NEVER responds to by email, so that was awesome!  He's going to be in Spring, TX, for a while.  Likely about another month.  He will have a mission-issued iPad after this month, so he'll be able to take more pictures.  Right now he's dependent on his companion and others to take pictures.  Luckily, he recently attended a large Christmas conference with his mission and there was a photographer who took lots of pictures.  I've downloaded a few for you to see.

He SOOOOO appreciated all the gifts, letters and cards he received from you for Christmas.  THANK YOU!  His favorite was the only thing he actually asked for:  A tool kit.  He said that he encountered so many people who have simple home or auto repairs that need help and he and his companion are not prepared to help, so this will assist them in serving others.  

Please continue to pray for him and all our missionaries to stay safe and happy while serving the Lord.  If he doesn't respond to your emails, please know that he reads ALL of them.  He just doesn't have very much time on his P-Day (just an hour on the computer), so he sometimes will just print them off and read them later.  Keep emailing him!

As always, thank you for your continuing support.  We love you!

JD, Terri & Family

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Hey y'all, I hope everyone had a merry Christmas!

Maybe I was just not away long enough to be homesick, but I really enjoyed Christmas! It was simple and uplifting.

This week my favorite experience was tracting in the 'hood. It can be tough but you also meet lots of friendly and humble people. We stopped at one house to chat with a family who was curious about our message. Out of the blue, a woman so sauced that the only way she could speak was at 100% volume took a particular interest in us. Among my favorite lines of hers:

"I hope y'all aren't offended if I drink, 'cuz I'm an alcoholic, yaknowwhaimsayin?? heyooooo hehe"

"do ya think there'll be weed in heaven? Cuz I neeeed my weeeeed hehe"

and my favorite: "I'm just playing wit'chu" *proceeds to give me uncomfortable hug, wherein I find that her clothes are inexplicably damp*

But to her credit, when we went down the street to knock on a sketchy double wide, she yelled from her driveway to warn us 'uh uh, don't go knockin' there boys, they ain't friendly'. We later inferred from the neighbors that it was a crack house run by gangsters.

Just a couple of doors down, we found a new investigator named Shirley, who is sweet as can be and wants to read the Book of Mormon for herself to find out if it's true. It's surprising how close the stony places and good soil (Matt 13: 3-8) can be.

I hope everyone is having a good holiday season and is driving safely. 

Much love from Texas,

Elder Troy

Elder Troy with Santa and his companion, Elder Vickers

Skyping with Elder Troy and the family Christmas morning!  Such a happy elder!!!

Elder Troy and his zone from Spring, TX

Texas Houston Mission, December 2016. (Elder Troy is directly underneath the white snowflake on the wall)

THM messing around...

Santa arrives!  No more being naughty...

Fun and games at the mission Christmas conference.

Has Elder Troy run away to join the circus?!

NOTE:  Not sure why, but the video he sent (it's only about 5 seconds long) isn't able to play on the blog.  It shows on Facebook and email though.  Sorry!  (spoiler....the 3 year old beats him).

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Hey All! Sorry about a lack of email last week. There just wasn't a whole lot going on. So I thought that this time I'd send a miracle we had.

This week Elder Vickers and I prayed to know where to knock and were brought to the home of Celma, A brazilian immigrant who doesn't speak any English. She called her teenage son downstairs to the door to interpret for her into Portuguese and expressed through him that she was interested in our religion and a church tour. As we were talking with them on the doorstep, her son fell suddenly, flat on his back on the tile floor. We assumed he had epilepsy and was just embarrassed, so we didn't press the issue. He staggered up saying he needed a glass of water before falling again, face first, and knocking himself (and his two front teeth) out. After Elder Vickers and I contacted paramedics and rendered first aid, the miracle of our appearance there seemed to become clear to everyone. Had we not been there, she would have been the only one home, and he would have had his emergency in some other part of the house where she wouldn't have known. When she did find him, she wouldn't have been able to do or explain much for him or the paramedics owing to her language.

Celma's son is going to be okay, since it was apparently a reaction to some medication he had been taking, and she and her friend came to both a church tour and a sunday service this week. We have a good feeling about their family.

We also got a less active family the missionaries have been focusing on for some two years to finally join us this sunday - both they and Celma showed up just in time for the sacrament this week. How blessed we are!

I'm doing wonderfully here, growing and learning all the time. Learning to be grateful for the little things and to slow down.

Hope all is well in WA and St. G. Enjoy this video of me on a clown bike.

Elder Troy

Dukes of Hazzard & Cabela's

Hello All!

Here is Elder Troy's latest letter!  

He's still in Spring, Texas.  As always, thank you for your love and support.  He appreciates all the letters and emails!  If you'd like to send him a Christmas card or package for the holidays, it would be so great!  You can send it here:

Elder Derek Allen Troy

26325 Northgate Crossing Blvd., Apt. #1510

Spring, TX  77373

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Hey Y'all! 

What a weird week it has been in Texas.

One of the more interesting guys we ran into this week I just have written down as "Bo & Luke Duke" in my planner since he wouldn't give us his name. I guess his second wife came into a lot of money after a lawsuit and the guy has spent tons of it on safaris. He heard I'm a hunter after shooting the breeze a bit and invited us in. It was like a Cabela's in there. The guy had a stuffed baboon, two black bears, a grizzly, a porcupine, a ten foot Gator, a seven foot shark, a zebra, a kudzu, a whale baleen, a couple bighorn sheep, and some other critters stuffed or skinned around his living room. Claimed that the coyote he shot while sitting at his kitchen table. Just where I was standing from I could see two pistols and a shotgun laying around, not including the pistol he was surely carrying, and the guns he was using as decorations!

As we left he traded us our Book of Mormon for his copy of 'God is not Great'. Ha! We found him because we made a huge push this week to go and meet 15 new people to talk about the gospel with every day. It was a lot of knocking on doors when we're already super busy and most people don't even come to the door, but man has it paid off. We went from having two flaky investigators to ten flaky investigators! Now we need to get them to stick to their commitments! This is a slow but rewarding process.

We met with a woman named Linda last week who really is trying to be the best person she can. She is just struggling to find the right path in a world that is increasingly complex. By the time we left her doorstep she was in tears she was feeling the Spirit so strongly. How I wish that everyone was listening to the Spirit so sensitively! She craved a knowledge for herself of the Bible, and to personally know the truth - whatever it may be.

Last night we met Jerek, who was similar. He was our last door of the night (Which is always a good one for us! Blessings!) and loved how our Christmas initiative at Mormon.org was about serving others the way Christ served them - helping the blind to see, and healing the sick. He really wants to serve and bless his fellow man.

But they are sadly in the minority. It is said that 10% of people will want to hear our message no matter what we say, 80% must to be given the message that their souls are searching for to want more, and 10% will turn us away instantly. Almost everyone is genuine and kind, but a few people who claim to be disciples of Christ call to mind Matt 15:8

"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me."

Because they've been led astray by the "grievous wolves" preaching at the local mega churches! How I resent those great and abominable churches! They say Jesus' name, but do nothing for Him.

Almost everyone we meet claims a faith in Jesus Christ and a church. When we ask them what they're doing to actually draw closer to their Savior every day, or ever, they rarely have an answer. They've been told by wicked pastors and priests that there's nothing righteous for them to do but to pay and listen to them, because they're already saved and now they have their hearts shut to James 2:

"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?"

"But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"

So many people depend on someone else to read their scriptures for them! It's shocking to me how poorly people understand their Bibles, and how blindly they follow the pastors they pay to make them feel justified! They want to Bible bash on their doorsteps and then when you answer their question and give them one in response, they say 'I cannot tell' as if they were in Mark 11.

Read your scriptures. Pray. Find the truth within them for yourself. Don't waste time letting someone else tell you how you are saved or not. 

Matt 7:15

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."

Love,

Elder Derek Troy

Elder Troy & his companion at the Festival of Nativities.