Lookout Homestead---The amazing Elders Have arrived!!!

8-25-14 

Hello to Homestead....New adventures, New companions, New work to be done...

 Elder Park !!!!!! 

 We discovered my laundry hamper doubles as a bees helmet....needless to say Elder Park and I hit it off quite well this transfer....

Our new "not ghetto" house....

well here's the scoop.

 So, i got transferred! I'm now in the southern most zone in the mission, called the homestead zone, it's kinda cool. it's like a suburban country mix. kinda different. but it's the southern most part of continental forida, and there's one of the key's in my area! next month we are going to be heading down there to visit some people, and get some work done. CAN"T WAIT.

  Well, so my new companion is Elder Park. He is from Herriman Utah. He is totally awesome! He came out round about seven months before i did. we hit it off really well at the beginning of this transfer. We talked a little about cars on the way home, he knows a ton! i was thinking to myself, Oh yes, this will be an excellent transfer. haha

  so there are 2 areas in our ward, the other guys live with us. their names are elder Urmston, from Bakersfield California, and Elder Anderson from bountiful utah. Elder Urmston has been out for a while, and Elder Anderson is brand new, just got outta the mtc. you can hardly tell though he's really awesome!

   so funny thing happened on sunday. we are standing at the front doors welcoming everyone into the building, in both spanish and english cuz we are a bilingual ward(really interesting) and this family walks up whom elder park called the mckees. when i introduced myself, he said what part of vegas are you from? i told him the north and he asked if i knew his nephews! haha, i told him i knew jonah and spencer mckee whom i went to high school with. it was really funny and what a small world! well the work is going amazing! we have this investigator named myra, who is really sweet and awesome, and is getting baptized next sunday! :) i'm just so excited! I've already met a couple of recent convert families who also are really awesome, and just absolutely love the missionaries!

well, i think that's gonna be all for this week,

love  yall.

Elder Wardell

 Elder Unstrom  the new District Leader, yes he smiles sometimes....ha ha jk...he is awesome!!!

Elder Anderson....Greeeenieee....first transfer...He is Elder Unstrom's son.... 

"Vaya Con Dios" Miami... El Portal North

8-25-14
Saying Goodbye to Miami--El Portal North......

Passing by Fort Lauderdale Temple on our way home from Transfer meeting....

 All packed up and ready to go...

Empty chair....Empty table....

(note from mom:   love the poster on the wall) 

Saying Goodbye to the Naviera's family....Dinorah, Elder Wardell, Papa y Mama... 

 Mi familia para siempre cubano

(My Cuban Forever Family ) 

 Dinorah, Elder Wardell, Mama, Papa, Elder Dinkins, Elder Cobabe, Elder Thompson 

 Saying Goodbye to Milton....Best Ward Mission Leader ever!!!! 

Saying goodbye to Hugo and Robin

 Elder Wardell, Hugo, Robin, Elder Cobabe.... 

Memories and blessings..... More pictures from Miami

8-19-14

 A week in Pictures....the week before transfers.....

 Awesome District!! Last Week in Miami-- El Portal North 

Elders from Las Vegas-- Elder Wardell, Elder Tenney, Elder Simper 

 Elder Dinkins--lived 2 transfers with this guy...going to miss him....

Elder Thompson,  been with him since I got on the mission...going to miss him ... he's the best!!

Elder Cobabe, my companion for 1 transfer, I made a remark to him how he never takes a serious picture

                                              

   The awesome Sister Wood and Sister Orton--culprits behind our Post it attack!!! 

 Look who I ran into at Zone Conference -- my awesome trainer Elder Marshall---

 he was so happy to see his Baby!! 

No He really was!!! 

A Wedding, A Baptism and Transfers!!

August 19, 2014 

Robin and Hugo getting married !!

Robin and Hugo getting Baptised!!! 

Weeeeeell heres the scoop.

BAPTISMSSSSS!!!!!!!

Robin and hugo were married and baptized this last week. We truly saw a miracle this last week with those two. they are such a Huge example of enduring hard trials. looking back there was a lot of things that really kind of stood in the way of their baptism: 1st robin has leukemia, and she physically feels really bad a lot, so lessons were sometimes difficult for her, but she pulled through. The marriage license for them was a challenge to get, but because they had faith that it would pull through right from the get go, it wasn't as much of a challenge as it definitely could have been. Then came the wedding/baptism day, and Robin wasn't feeling so good at all the whole day, and when we asked her what she wanted to do, wait or proceed, without even hesitating she said that we should do it. so we did! it was truly amazing!

  well this past week we also had zone conference! I got to see elder marshall again! I was soo happy, he's doing amazing. and also me and elder simper and elder tenney all got to chat with each other at different times. it was so cool to be there with two other guys from las vegas, one who I was good friends with for a while.

   and then came the news. weeeell tomorrow, after 4 months and five days in El Portal, I'm going to be transferring for the first time. It's bittersweet cuz I love El Portal but at the same time I'm super excited for the new experience! :) soo exciting.

Well guess that will be all love yall!

Elder Wardell

Note from Mom:  Transfers are  name of the time period in which Missionaries  serve together with their companions. Transfers are every 6 weeks. You can be with a companion for one transfer or more than one transfer. For example Elder Wardell was companions with Elder Marshall for 2 transfers and he has been with Elder Cobabe for 1 transfer.  On Sunday night the week of Transfers the missionaries are notified if they will be "transferring" or not.   Elder Wardell received a call this last Sunday night, and was told he will be transferring to a new area. He will go to "Transfer Meeting" tomorrow. There he will meet his new companion and then he will be given his new area. He has been serving in NW Miami in an area called El Portal North.  He will now move from that area to his new area and begin serving there with his new companion. 

More pictures.....

Meet the Awesome Sister Orton and Sister Wood ...they are responsible for the "Post it" note attack!!! 

Long hair...

I should be a barber, it took me forever....some of it I had to do by feel.......

An Angel, a "Post it " attack and our Awesome Investigators

This is a photo challenge that our district had, called the angel moroni challenge. that was the one (this picture) that elder cobabe and I were going to use (sadly we wont be able to do it this week.)

(Note from Mom:  Nearly all the temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have a statue of the Angel Moroni atop the spires of the temple.  Moroni holds a horn to his lips with his right hand, symbolizing both the spreading of the gospel throughout the world and the long-anticipated Second Coming of the Savior, which will be announced by trumpet-blowing angels (see Matthew 24:31 to read more you can go here...https://www.lds.org/new-era/2009/11/looking-up-to-moroni?lang=eng

August 11. 2014 

Weeeeell here's the scoop.

     So this last week was pretty good. we met with robin and hugo just about every day, and they just absolutely loved it! so did we. They have truly been prepared because they have just been getting cooler and cooler. So on friday we went with them to the courthouse, and they got their marriage license! they are going to be married, AND baptised this tuesday! they are just the greatest people! for example, we just taught them about tithing, and we were a little bit nervous because they sometimes have a bit of trouble making ends meet, but as we taught them tithing, and asked if they would live the law, hugo said, absolutely. like without any thought. the two of them have such amazing faith, and always act on it without even taking thought. truly amazing. well, I love yall,

talk to ya next week!

Elder Wardell

this picture is from friday night when we got home. it was a nice little post it note attack from the sisters in our district.

the funniest one read

"once upon a time, the elders lived in a ghetto little place. but God protected them. and they lived happily ever after." haha they are funny.

Farewells and Miracles

                                                Marlen and her daughter Soann were baptised

                                                       Elder Wardell and Grandma Wardell 

July 28th, 2014 

Weeeeell here's the scoop.

        Well, a bit of sad news from home this past week, and that is that my grandma wardell, has now passed on. all is well though, because grandma has been in bad health for the past while, but mostly has been separated from her sweetheart grandpa wardell for over 25 years. I smile everytime i think that she finally was able to give grandpa callis a hug again. And even more than that, she was also able to meet some family there that she's never before met. namely my sister morgan. Death here is sad, but at the same time, it is what brings us to a happy reunion.

           this week we were able to touch somewhat on that topic with one of our recent converts deysi. this past week we shared with her some of the blessings of the temple. and she told us how she would start preparing to go to the temple. and she was just bubbling with joy when i told her that elder marshall and i would be able to be there when she went through the temple.

Deysi is the sweetest ole cuban lady you'll ever meet. :) she always refers to us as "mis bebes" (my babies).

        

       also this past week saw some miracles! and my oh my how i love to see miracles! So, last week i wrote home and talked about how our completely awesome investigator dropped us. we were so sad, but elder Cobabe and i kept up our faith that the lord was sending something our way, and he did. on Wednesday, we had ward correlation, and the other elders texted us and said that Marlen and her daughter were there! we zipped right over to the chapel and sure enough, ! they were there. she came up to us after she finished her relief society activity, and told us that the reason we couldn't come by was because the people she was staying with, didn't like the mormon church and said that we weren't able to stop by anymore. but because marlen has a burning testimony, and because she knows the truth of this church, she acted. she acted on her faith, and came to us, and told us that she was moving to detroit but she wanted to get baptized here with us and that she wanted the gift of the holy ghost because she knows how it will guide her in this moment of her life. so last thursday, the day before she left, she and her daughter soann, were baptized and then confirmed!!!

 

Miracles happen. everyday they are there just waiting for us to recieve them. and we recieve them by our faith. that's why faith leads to joy, and strong faith leads to happiness. that is why it is so important that we demonstrate our faith in prayer and in the scriptures and strengthen it by doing those things everyday. miracles, are pendant on us acting for them. its as simple as that.

well that's a pretty sweet scoop.

:) love yall

Elder Wardell