Elder Erik Derricott
Called to serve in the Boise, Idaho Mission from 2015-04-21 through 2015-07-20.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Sunday, July 19, 2015
July 6, 2015 The Place Where I Belong
Erik:Well, guys, I'm sure you already got the news, but I'm going to say it anyways.
Tony:
Tara:
I'm coming home.
When
President Winder pulled me in and said that I wasn't going forward for
another 21 months, I don't think I've ever been so disappointed in my
life. I was so ready to give my all for 2 years, and now I can't believe
that it's almost over. But you know what? After a bit of tears (mostly
on my part) I realized that it wasn't my will that mattered, or
President Winder's, or even the First Presidency's; it was God's. If God
doesn't want me here, then I guess he wants me elsewhere. So I would
just like to say:
Dad, thanks for being an
inspiration for me to look up to. You always made sure that I was doing
my absolute best at all times, and I'm glad of that.
Mom, thank you for always making sure I was healthy and pure. I want to always make you and Dad proud of me.
Emily, thanks for being at your absolute randomest. Your emails have helped me with a lot of stress in my 3 months.
And
Jacob, thank you for being the absolute best big brother a guy like me
could have. Everything that you write or draw makes me proud to be your
brother.
I love you all, and I look forward to
working as hard as ever this week. Thank you all for being my eternal
family. God bless you all!
D&C 124:49Tony:
President
came over last night to talk to us about it. We're surprised but
resigned. We knew going in that it might be this way. Now we just need
to learn to accept it and move on. Sounds like you've already made
peace with the decision. We're sure proud of you.
Matthew 25:21
Tara:
Hi son. We are so proud of you. We were also a bit disappointed because
you are doing so great on your mission. Now, you will just have to keep
doing great things in other areas and continue being a missionary in all
you do. I know that Heavenly Father knows what will bring you the most
peace and joy. We know that we will have trials and tests of our
obedience in this life, and this is just one of them. You are doing
great and we pray for your strength and ability to handle this well.
What a great experience and blessing this has been! We will move
forward and continue to serve and learn and grow! We love you so
much!!!!!!
June 29, 2015
June 29, 2015
Erik:
Yup,
I am officially dead from all this heat. I'm being completely serious
when I say that the weather has been over 100 degrees and counting. SO
HOT. Luckily, we are in a car-share with two other Elders, so we get it
this week; and a good thing too, because every day this week is supposed
to be over 100. So, pray for our health and safety, because we'll need
it.
My certificate that
says I am a missionary said that my official ending date is July 14, and
I talked a bit with President Winder who said that I would come home
for a few days before being set apart to be a missionary again, so you
all get to see me for a few days! I really hope that we can talk about
my experiences for a bit before I leave again :) This ward is definitely
one of the best I could have, and I love Boise! Hope I can send you
some pictures soon, but not right now, sorry! Love you all!
Emily: So, are you going to continue on a mission officially? It is pretty hot up here too. It is in the nineties all week. Love ya!
Tara: I'm sorry it is so hot... I do pray for your health and safety all the time. I'm glad you have someone interested in learning more and I will pray for her too. Tell us more about what will happen on the 14th? Do we come get you? Are you returning to the Boise mission? Any details would be great!
Erik: I will tell you the details as soon as i get them, but I hope I return to Boise; it's hot, but fun!
Erik:
to Tony, me, Emily, Jacob
Glad to hear that all of you are doing well.
Congrats on the future calling, Mom. Hope you do well! I will be sure to
send Dad something for his birthday as soon as possible. We currently
only have a few investigators lined up, and since summer started, we
haven't been able to contact them due to them being out and doing summer
stuff. But yesterday, we had the opportunity to talk to a woman named
Errin Brown with an active family in the ward. She lost her husband in a
car crash a few years ago, and her pastor helped her through that, but
we shared Ether 12 with her, and she seemed to really like that, so pray
for her as well, okay?
Emily: So, are you going to continue on a mission officially? It is pretty hot up here too. It is in the nineties all week. Love ya!
Tara: I'm sorry it is so hot... I do pray for your health and safety all the time. I'm glad you have someone interested in learning more and I will pray for her too. Tell us more about what will happen on the 14th? Do we come get you? Are you returning to the Boise mission? Any details would be great!
Erik: I will tell you the details as soon as i get them, but I hope I return to Boise; it's hot, but fun!
Friday, June 26, 2015
June 22, 2015
June 22, 2015
Erik:
I am usually available for email around ten, but due to a series of circumstances beyond our control, we were not able to find a computer until now! Anyways, this week has been a lot less stressful than last one. I was so pleasantly surprised to see the Rindlisbachers for my birthday, and I loved the package you sent me. I left it at the church because we were going proselyting, and when we came back to check it out, some ants had gotten into it! Luckily, they only got to a couple of granola bars, and you have no idea how many sweets we have at our house now!
I can't figure
out why my camera battery keeps running out; Elder Anderson said that
it might be a short, so I'll ask him to send me some pictures before I
try to figure out what the problem is. So no pictures for now, sorry!
Keep inviting the Spirit into your lives!
Tony: Don't worry about a gift for me. These letters with your positive
attitude are good enough for me. We'll keep our eyes open for a new
camera. Maybe it will be a present when we hear that you're extending
for 21 more months. That's what we're expecting, anyway. Have you
heard any more about that?
Tara: Hi son! Glad your package made it on time, and sorry the ants attacked it! I'm glad you are doing lots of service. Be careful to drink LOTS of water, as the weather is getting hot. We are so happy that you are loving your mission!!!!!
Erik:
I am usually available for email around ten, but due to a series of circumstances beyond our control, we were not able to find a computer until now! Anyways, this week has been a lot less stressful than last one. I was so pleasantly surprised to see the Rindlisbachers for my birthday, and I loved the package you sent me. I left it at the church because we were going proselyting, and when we came back to check it out, some ants had gotten into it! Luckily, they only got to a couple of granola bars, and you have no idea how many sweets we have at our house now!
Our
investigators are far and few between, but our service projects have
picked up. I got a bit overheated when we started digging posts for one
family, and my right leg is painful if I walk too long, but I can live
through it. God wants me to be in Boise, and I will do everything in my
power to follow his will.
I'm sorry that I
didn't get anything for Father's Day, I was so focused on finding people
that it completely slipped my mind. I will be sure to send Dad
something for a belated present!
Tony: Don't worry about a gift for me. These letters with your positive
attitude are good enough for me. We'll keep our eyes open for a new
camera. Maybe it will be a present when we hear that you're extending
for 21 more months. That's what we're expecting, anyway. Have you
heard any more about that?
Tara: Hi son! Glad your package made it on time, and sorry the ants attacked it! I'm glad you are doing lots of service. Be careful to drink LOTS of water, as the weather is getting hot. We are so happy that you are loving your mission!!!!!
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
June 15, 2015 - So Happy
June 15, 2015 – So Happy
Erik - Hey
everyone! This week in Eagle has been stretching my physical and spiritual
limits. Wednesday was probably my hardest day so far on my mission; we did
three service projects (sprinkler maintenance, spraying weeds in tons of
mosquitoes, and digging dirt) and by the end, me and Elder Anderson were so
sweaty. On the plus side, I've got my weight down to 255 pounds!
Even though my birthday is coming
up, I'm so excited to be teaching people that it doesn't really effect me that
much. But I am excited to see what you have sent me, and keep sending prayers
for us. It really helps. Right now, we don't really have any investigators, but
we hope to get more correlation this week with the members to get referrals and
stuff.
Also, we helped nurse a 2 day old
puppy back to health! It was a bit odd to milk a dog using a syringe, but it
was definitely journal worthy.
The work here is slow, but we have
some potential investigators we would like to meet today, so keep looking for
good news! Tell Grandma and Grandpa thanks for the card!
Tony: I
especially like your subject line. Have you heard anything about the
evaluation process for whether you'll continue on after 3 months?
Erik: I have
asked around, but most of the missionaries in my area say that two-transfer
missionaries usually go home for a bit after 3 months, then return, but I don't
have any idea how it works or who to talk to for that.
Tony: Well,
it's probably best to just keep your shoulder to the wheel until further
notice, then. Do you write to your mission president or communicate with
your zone or district leaders on a regular basis?
Tara: Hi my
boy! I love that you are happy and working hard!! Sounds like a crazy
week! I'm glad to hear that you are writing your experiences in your journal
too. I miss you and love you and pray for you always!!!! Have any
pictures this week?
Sunday, June 14, 2015
June 8, 2015
June 8, 2015
Erik: Hey all! This week in Eagle has
been...interesting. Elder Anderson is a lot like me, because he loves animals
and drawing. He loves to draw robots and armor and the like, and he has an
amazing memory; he recited the entire history of the Christian church to me one
day. The new apartment is at 1275 Beacon Light Road in Eagle, Idaho. The area
is much more spread apart than Meridian, so it takes a while for us to bike
into our ward.
Elder Lee was a good companion; a
little disobedient, but he was constantly working on being a good missionary.
He goes home in November, so he still has a little bit of time left. Elder Lee
forgot to give me his email address, so I can't contact him, but we might meet
together for Don Healton's baptism. He struggled with missionaries for about 10
years, and he finally accepted the baptism date a couple of weeks ago! I'm
excited to see him progress even though I'm not teaching him anymore.
I can't think of anything that would
be good for my birthday package except for a flash drive; it doesn't have to be
huge, but I would like some space on it.
My bike riding is doing well, and my
weight is steadily dropping at a good rate.
By the way, when does school end for
Emily? I think it was in June, but i would like to talk to her more often as
soon as possible.
Thanks for all of the pictures! Nice
to see that you got together with lots of family members; in fact, it's always
a good idea to invite friends and family over to eat with you occasionaly. Keep
on working hard and praying for us!
Also, have some pictures of a beautiful sunset, Elder
Anderson holding a Blue Macaw, and my fellow missionaries in a service project!
Tara: Hi son! Great to hear from you! I love the pictures...
Especially the ones with you on them. Continue to take them and share with
us! Still happy and healthy?
Erik: I'm
pretty happy, except for the fact that my hands are a little sensitive right
now. I had a bike accident where I fell off and bruised my hands a bit.
Luckily, we just happen to bike by someone who used to be a Church nurse, so
she had me get some cold water and ice; nothing too serious, and it should be
gone in a week or so.Also, I am disappointed that Em hasn't emailed me for a
while. Is she too busy, or just forgetful, or both?
Tara: I'm
sorry about your hands... Hope they feel better soon! Em has been busy. I asked
her to write to you yesterday, but I bet she forgot. I will continue to remind
her... She misses you a bunch!
Emily: Hi Erik! Sorry that I haven't been able to email, I have been super
busy. I got out of school about two weeks ago. Marching band starts
tomorrow and I am super excited.
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