A great picture from Carlton Reininger

Carlton Reininger is having a great experience in Argentina.  I love this picture and the story he shared of a newlywed couple (standing behind Carlton).  They are not your typical newlywed couple, having been together for 50 years before Carlton stepped in to help them get married (including handling all the paperwork) and then baptized.  Thanks to Carlton's mom for sharing his stories and pictures!

Elliot's January 31 email

Here's the latest message from Elliot.  He was happy to learn that CJ Norris got his mission call to Boise, Idaho, yet another of the great young men from the Newhall First Ward to go on a mission.  Javan Hatch gave his farewell address yesterday at church and we'll hear from Kyle Hill soon also.  Elliot's email is below and you can see four new pictures after the jump.

Hola!

I'm glad to hear that everything seems to be going well back home! That's awesome about CJ's call and for Javan being so close to heading out. It's so cool to see so many guys from back home out serving and preparing to serve. The mission's awesome too.

This past week was so fun being back with Elder Phillips. We had a really good time and got a lot of work done. We also took some pictures, a few of which I attached. We taught quite a few lessons and got fed really well too, so everyone's happy. Except that Elder Gonzalez got sick! He came down with the flu but he's way better right now. And I bought some vitamins so hopefully I don't get sick or anything.

We didn't have too much of anything big happen this week. We did however get to help a member of our ward out who's been suffering from cancer of the colon and liver. We actually ran into him on P-day at Wal-Mart and set up a time for us to come by to his house on Friday. So me and Elder Phillips went by and gave him a blessing. It was such a good experience. I've given quite a few Priesthood blessings so far on my mission, including one other this past week, but this one seemed more special than usual. His cancer is really bad, and when he was diagnosed he was given 2-3 months, but he's far outlived it. But he's going through a really hard time with chemotherapy every week which really just wipes him out. It's hard to see his pain but he has so much faith. I really think that's the reason why he's still doing well. Then he took us to Mazzios Pizza, so it was a good day. We also had a lot of other good lessons and teaching experiences this past week, and we've been having some good success.

Well I love you all and am grateful for everything! Let me know if there's anything I can do for y'all.

Love,

Elder Elliot Adair

Remember the Ten

At 6:37 p.m. on January 27, 2001, ten members of the Oklahoma State University family perished in a plane crash following a Cowboy basketball game in Boulder, Colorado.  OSU's president made a solemn vow: "We will never forget."  And they have not.

Kendall Durfey - radio producer and engineer

Bjorn Fahlstrom - pilot

Nate Fleming - student athlete

Will Hancock - media relations coordinator

Dan Lawson - student athlete

Brian Luinstra - athletic trainer

Denver Mills - CPA and pilot

Pat Noyes - director of basketball operations

Bill Teegins - broadcaster and voice of the OSU Cowboys

Jared Weiberg - student assistant

More pictures, news reports, a poem from the memorial service, and an extended video recount this tragedy, after the jump.

Mormon Messages: "He Lives: Testimonies of Jesus Christ"

In Doctrine and Covenants Section 76, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon bear powerful testimony of the Savior:

 22 And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

 23 For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

As a missionary, Elliot will also bear testimony of the Savior and His gospel, standing "as a witness of God at all times and in all things" (Mosiah 18:9) and blessed with the "power to be mighty in testimony."  (Doctrine and Covenants 100:10.) 

After the jump, enjoy a video in which leaders of the Church bear their own powerful testimonies of Jesus Christ.

Oklahoma Beef Cook-Off

You have to love a state that has an annual beef cook-off.  The 2011 Oklahoma Beef Cook-Off was held on January 22 in Oklahoma City.  This year's big winner was Leah Lyon (pictured in action below) of Ada, Oklahoma, with her recipe for Steak Florentine Orzo with Warm Bacon-Tomato Vinaigrette.  You can find her recipe here if you want to experiment.  Sadly, Elliot had already been transferred to Clinton before the event so he missed it.

More Oklahoma beef links (for you beef lovers out there):

• Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association, which includes pages for Cowman Magazine, Oklahoma CattleWomen, Inc., Oklahoma Junior Cattlemen's Association, and the Oklahoma Beef Ambassador Competition.  Contestants in the beef ambassador competition are interviewed to test their ability to “Tell the Beef Production Story” and present the beef industry positively.  They also participate in a mock consumer promotion event to test their ability to educate the consumer and provide consumers with appropriate information.  There's no mention of evening gowns or riding in a parade in convertibles, so it's not quite Oklahoma's equivalent of the Rose Queen and Royal Court.
• Oklahoma Quality Beef Network
• Oklahoma Beef Council
• Oklahoma Beef Inc.

Pictures!

Elliot sent a second email today with a few pictures.  First, here is his brief second email, then the pictures will be posted after the jump.

Hope you enjoy the pictures! Don't worry about the one with the guy holding a knife to my neck, he's awesome and I'm still alive. The family is the Cardenas family in the South, the one with another missionary is Elder Whipple, and Clinton has a lot of churches.

Elliot's January 24 email

Here's the latest from Elliot.

Hola familia!

How's it going? I'm so glad to hear that you're gonna be able to work out of Southern California dad! That's so awesome.

Things are going super well out here. I get to spend this whole week with Elder Phillips, my MTC companion, while our companions are in the city for a leadership training meeting. It's so awesome. We work so well together and have such a good time so it's gonna be a really good week.

So I gotta tell a story. We have a few Spanish speaking members who attend our English services as well as a few investigators. The stake actually got a translator set (complete with headphones, mic, and everything) so that they could understand what was being said instead of just sitting there. Well who got assigned the responsibility of translating? Me of course. I was so stinkin nervous about trying to translate a whole meeting from English because it's really difficult to listen and translate at the same time. Also, one of our investigators with a baptismal date, Juan, had one of the headsets. I prayed so hard that I would be able to speak well and translate effectively. It was such an awesome experience. I felt myself saying words that I did not know I knew and having almost no trouble following along with what was being said. It was still super difficult, for sure, but I know the gift of tongues is real and I'm so grateful for the ability to speak Spanish. It seemed like the Spanish-speakers there enjoyed it too so that's what's important.

So everything's going really well, I'm loving the work and really am enjoying everything. Tell Alyssa happy birthday!!!!

Love you all!

Elder Elliot Adair