July 9, 2015 Pictures

July 9, 2015 - Picture from Elder Erik Derricott's farewell party.  Sent by Stephanie Patterson

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.

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 124:49

Tony:  

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: 

to Tony, me, Emily, Jacob

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.

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?

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!

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!

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!

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!!!!!

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?  

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.