Now the Dees family has a ZL! Zone Leader!

Email of Elder Nicholas Dees 

January 7, ‘13

Subject:  Mercedes has the SL, Acura has the TL, Now the Dees family has a ZL!

Well I made it! We got transfer calls this past Saturday morning and I got called to be a Zone Leader out in Kimberly, ID! So I have a car again baby, wahooo! Because it’s snowing like mad today! But my companion is Elder Rudd.  He is from Florida so I guess that makes it pretty cool? Anyways I have a pretty tight Zone that I’m over, my previous companion Elder Larsen is out here in the zone so I’m way pumped for that! Elder Butler my greenie is staying in the area in Meridian and getting a really crazy/wild missionary so hopefully that area doesn't die. But I will miss that area.  We had some good times and saw many blessings from Heavenly Father for the short time I was there. But I'm glad to move on to a new place and be a Zone Leader, it will be way fun I can already tell! The miracle for this week was that we went out to eat at Tuscanos Brazilian Grill for Zone Lunch and we all had these scratch off cards and mine won a free meal! So I saved like 17 bucks which was way exciting! I also set some new years goals which are: No soda, no ice cream/candies, workout everyday minus Sunday, and to.......well I cant think of another right now but I'll make some more! Well that’s really all I have, kinda busy today, gotta go get settled in my new place, love you all and send me mail! -Elder Dees

New Address:

320 Center St. E

PO Box 982

Kimberly, ID 83341

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Late email from mom:

1/7/13

Hi Son,

Sorry I didn't put in an email.  quite sick.  

Zone Leader and a new area, how nice.  I pray often for you and will continue too.  Be a great leader with spiritual leadership and example!  You certainly have the ability just make sure it's genuine.  

I finally was set apart yesterday for my Stake RS 2nd Counselor calling.  Guess it's time to work!  I already have a 15 min. talk assignment for this coming Sunday to speak in Hosford Ward.  In a month we have a RS Conference on a Saturday to plan.  Lot's to do.

The home is still a wreck.

Free meal at Tuscanas....pretty sweet, but why would missionaires go out to eat such an expensive meal?  I can't even afford that and I'm sure a lot of Elder's don't have it.  Just wondering?

John started classes today so he's back in Rexburg.

Madison started back today as well.  She stays so worried, about bad things that have happened in the schools recently.  I told her to set a goal of getting her Patriarchal Blessing by March.  Hope she will.  She is thinking about looking into graduating early.  Any recommendations?  

I see you have set some goals.  Glad you enjoy exercising but you don't have to completely cut out ALL snacks/sodas though they aren't the best for us.  What about some spiritual goals?  and temporal goals, especially since you will be returning home in less than a year.  Or even personal goals of language, and use of time.  I'll have to set my goals in these next two days.

I'll have to see who the Elder Rudd is.  There are lots of Rudd's in the family.  Also in Zac L’s family.  He's probably kin.

I know you enjoyed the Meridian area and I hope it will continue to flourish.  Just be an asset anywhere you serve.  Be kind and humble, acknowledging the blessings that come your way!

I love you.  I fast for you.  I pray often for you.  

Much success and love.

Remember this is the Lord's work.  We don't have to apologize for it.  Truth is truth.  Testify of it.

Love, Mom.

PS.  Thanks for the address!

COLD...But I Shouldn't Complain

12/31/12

Subject:  Cold But I Shouldn’t Complain

Mon.

12/31/12

Hi Elder Dees!

How is my favorite missionary  :)?  I hope the work is continuing to progress for you all.  You sound like you work hard and I couldn't be happier.  You have such great potential.  I'm thrilled you have read the Book of Mormon 5 times on your mission.  You should write down the date you finish it in your scriptures and keep up w/the times you have read it.  Of course, you have to live it or it is really read in vain.  I'll start mine tonight.  I did read that article you committed me to read about exercise in the Ensign.  Now I have to "DO" something about it.  Thanks for telling me about it.  I stay so very tired but I know exercise will help curb the tiredness.  (eewwww, Pippin is under the computer desk in the kitchen and he stinks to high heaven)  He still follows ME EvErYwHeRe!!!!  Drives me nuts.

Don't be overdoing on your exercising.  Moderation is a good guide in anything we do.  You had said you were going to see about your hips.  Anything?  Did you go?  Hopefully things have self corrected and there is no need for any treatment.

The new year is upon us.  Write down a few resolutions.  I will to.  Of course we don't have to wait for a new year to come around to set a goal and work toward it but the new year is here and so time to pen some goals and work on them until we need to reevaluate and strenghten our commitment.  What is a goal of yours?

Well 2013 is the year you will come home in but you need to be diligent in working hard these next 8 plus months.  Don't be a slacker.  I'm sure your mission already has those.  Don't be one of them.  Elder Bennett Maxwell has already been out for 1 year---crazy.  

I'll be sending you a few articles and letters in the next day or so.  Just for you to read and learn.  Just stuff I've come across and love.

We are a bit cold here but not as cold as you I'm sure!

We are still not having much progress on the house.  We are S L O W but I can't take it much longer.  Just going to set it back up and move on.  

I hope you are increasing your testimony.  It is nice to see you mature.  I hope some of your gaming and playing habits before you left will be minimal when you return.  Anyway, I guess I'm saying I think you are more focused and that is a nice change.  

Your brother turned 22 a couple of days ago.  Seems weird.  He is still at Melissa's till maybe next Sunday.  His classes start on Jan. 7  as well as Madison returns then too.

I have to go met w/ Sister Patsy Davis.  She was released and I was called as the Second Counselor in the Stake Relief Society so I've got to go and meet.

Please don't do anything you shouldn't for the new year eve.  

Be sweet.

I do love you Elder Nicholas Dees.

I'll drop a letter to you this week.

Love, Mom

THEY CALL ME "QUAIL SLAYER"

8/20/12

Monday

They call me “Quail Slayer”

Hey everyone this week has been insanely busy.  We taught 32 lessons this week so we were just running from appointment to appointment and taught a few new people for the first time. WE had 5 investigators at church just in one ward which is pretty insane! Today for Pday we are going to the trampoline place in Meridian and then going fishing, eating dinner and having a lesson with a family we are teaching, The Borens, they love us so much its awesome! Been getting into great shape by running like 2-3 miles every morning but my right leg has been giving me some severe pain and my left leg feels completely untouched so I will be going to get it checked out later this week, hopefully they can figure out what the deal is. Well I have to go.  I'm at the public library and they only give you thirty minutes if there is a large group, hopefully next week I can write a longer email )=.

-Nick

 Oh and about the title, I literally hit probably 4 quail in the car and shot one with a slingshot from like a mile away it seemed like, dont worry i repented.

Elder Dees

NO EMAIL / BUMMER

8/13/12

No email this week L

MATTRESS IN THE ROAD

8/6/12

Monday

Mattress in the Road

Hey everyone, this week has been an interesting one for sure. And it has gone by so fast, its hard to believe we are starting week 3 of this transfer now! The title for this email came when we were helping the Berrymans go get a mattress from another house to their house and we put it in the back of the truck and us 3 men said it won't fly out. Jessica begged to differ and long story short, halfway home it fell out on the highway so we had to flip around and get it and to make sure it didn't fly out again Elder Larsen and I rode on the mattress back to the house for like 15 minutes on the highway! We got some interesting looks considering we were in our missionary clothes! Also this week we stayed really busy teaching which is always a plus. We were able to find 3 new people to teach but we had to drop a few people they just weren't putting any effort into it sadly. Today for P-day we are hanging out at the Clovers and playing on the playground and stuff then we are going fishing and teaching and eating with a new investigator family tonight so that will be super fun! I haven't been fishing in forever. We also got news this week that we will be getting a new car within the month which is awesome because our Malibu is crap! Other than that when we went shopping last week somebody paid for our groceries which was super nice! Other than that not much else I can think of kinda pressed for time today.

Nick

GETTING SHREDDED

7/30/12

Monday

Getting Shredded

Well like the title says that's what I'm up to. Me and my new companion are having a competition to see who can get in better shape so I have been getting up early and working out longer and harder and I must say I'm feeling like a champ and my weight isn't changing because its burning fat but gaining muscle. We are looking at all the Nutrition Facts now when we eat and go shopping haha its pretty lame I know but you find stupid stuff like this to keep you entertained on your mission! We stayed super busy this week so I'm excited that the work is still great and that time is flying by.

Today for P-Day we were walking to the library and I saw a little old lady in the road in a wheel chair and I said mam where are you going, would you like some help? That little old lady was so happy I asked her she had another two blocks to wheel herself and she was moving at a snails pace and she asked if I could wheel her so I said of course. So while I wheeled her and talked for a while and then we ended up running into one of our investigators that works at that retirement center and who we have been having trouble getting ahold of and he asked if we could meet with him this weekend and we told him no.........just kidding we said yes and got a solid appointment with him it was awesome because if I didn't take that chance to help that lady we wouldn't have been able to run into Braden, biggest blessing yet! This week we went over to the Clovers house and had dinner with them and they let us play on their kids GIANT indoor playground and fed us some giant huge steaks! Other than that everything is going great.  I did well on my first DM (District Meeting)  so I' not to worried about it anymore. Well thats all for now until next week! Oh and get people to send me mail- I'm tired of my greenie still getting mail a week after he has left!!!!!!!!!!!

email conversation w/Elder Dees:

Mom: - hi son--are you there?

Elder Dees:  yeah I’m here

Mom:  how is your knee?

why so late on the emails today???  just wondering what y'all did for p-day.

need anything?

one of Madison's classmates was killed in a single car accident yesterday up by Crystal Lake---please be careful for me!

I'll mail you a copy of how we are kin to Elder Bednar so if he comes your way you can call him Elder Cousin!  :)

Did you still want the "mormon" game?

Elder Dees:  yeah just been busy, my knee is doing ok, don’t send the mormon game but a little cash is always nice (= and thats cool about Elder Bednar! How is the family doing?

Mom:  Didn't you get my long email earlier????  I sent it this morning.

I'll try to get some cash your way.  I never have any---imagine that.  Your dad and I will work the polls for a week next week.  John is bossing everybody.  Madison is sad school will start soon.  She skyped w/Gabbi yesterday and Sydney is home till Jan.  She misses Idaho already and wants to go right back.  

Your dad and John are over at grandpas.  He (grandpa) bought grandma an ipad3 so they are helping to get it set up or something like that.  

The Clover's home sounds like a lot of fun!

Haven't seen Michael in forever.  or Chris either.

Mom always ask about you.

I just learned right now that one of my classmates, a  cousin, just lost her girl--she was maybe your age or a few years older.  I'm sad.

The gospel helps.  

I love you Elder Nicholas Dees.

Elder Dees:  gotta go.  will send pics tomorrow since we get to do our shopping tomorrow since they didn;t give us our monthly allotment today >=/

KEEPIN' IT ON THE DL

7/23/12

Monday

KEEPIN' IT ON THE DL

Well we got transfer calls this Thursday, that is right, Thursday.   We got them a day early because on Thursday we also got word that the Boise Idaho Temple will be having its open house from October 13th - November 10th! So to celebrate President Cannon sent us out transfer calls a day early and it was pretty shocking what happened. I didn't know we were getting the calls that day until Elder Larson called me and said, "Dees! I'm coming to Payette with you this transfer!" I was so confused I told him to stop lying and wanted to see what he was really calling about and sure enough a voicemail came through and said Elder Dees you will be staying and Elder Larson will be coming from Meridian and you will be the District Leader O.o not what I was expecting. My companion Elder Stone wrote President and told him he was nervous about his Spanish so he left me )=. It was a shame but I'm glad he will get to go and practice his Spanish in Boise. So we spent some time going around letting him say bye to people and stuff and they were all saying "you two can't separate! your the best ones we have had for quite a while! It was sad but people are really glad that I'm staying so that's always a plus! 

But thankfully we had a baptism together and it was an amazing baptism.  It was a guy named Paul M. that we started teaching when I first got to the area and he finally had his baptism and he was so excited for it and has such an amazing testimony for 3 months. I think in the whole time he was investigating (3 months) he missed church twice because he was extremely ill one week and had a death in the family another but it was really awesome for him to be baptized and for Elder Stone to have a baptism his first transfer! On the topic of baptisms, the Elders in New Plymouth had a baptism that we attended on Friday night and it was awful. They made no programs, no pianist, didn't have their suit coats, and for a while they didn't know they had a member of the Bishopric present. It was a disaster. I was sitting with our Zone Leaders in the back and we were just laughing silently because they knew how bad it was and they were trying to improvise but they failed hardcore hahaha. But other than that we had a really great week. My knee has been giving me some issues though so in the morning when we go and run the track after about 3 laps its in serious pain and it has been for this entire transfer I'm starting to think it might be a side affect from the car accident so I may need to go get that looked at soonish. Also more cool news! We won the cleanest appartment award across 3 Zones! so it was pretty sweet, other than that not much to report on this week.