Dear Family

Hey how has your week been going? It sounds like the priest’s Camp helaman was a lot of fun. Why wouldn’t anyone go on the zipline? I remember those trips were always a lot of fun. Everything has been going pretty good here. We have been staying very busy. We are trying to figure out how to best use our time between the two wards. We were in church for about 8 hours yesterday. Both of the wards meet in the same building. We have to be there at 7 30 for meetings before church for Benton, then as soon as we get done with Sunday school in the Benton ward, we go to the Little Rock ward for 3 more hours. Then we have another Correlation meeting after that for the Little rock ward. It was a lot of sitting. Between the 2 wards, we don’t have much down time anymore which is realy good. I like staying busy. Its just that now we don’t have to look for things to do. Now we have to plan out how to fit everything in. This next transfer, we should be having a few baptisms. I’m pretty excited. Transfers are coming up this next week. I’m really hoping Im going to be staying here my last transfer. I really love this area. It is probably my favorite area. Shawn Barber’s baptism went great on Saturday. It meant a lot to him. I think the confirmation meant more to him though. We went and talked to him about the priesthood last night and he was telling us about how he felt something very strong when he received the Holy Ghost. He felt that a lot of weight had been lifted off him. I love talking to recent converts about their experience when they get baptized and confirmed. I think we as lifelong members of the church take the gift of the Holy ghost for granted because we are so used to always having it with us. I love talking to new members because they can feel the difference before and after. Shawn told us he didn’t want to “sound corny or anything” but that he had actually felt some very strong impressions and emotions when he was getting confirmed. It meant a lot for him to tell us that because he isn’t very open with how he is feeling. He told us that he wants to get the priesthood and a calling now because he feels like he needs to contribute something back. He is such an awesome guy. I’m really grateful we were able to help him to get baptized. It was his father in law that baptized him. After the baptism, the mother in law came up and talked to me for a minute and told us that it was a huge step for him. That he had told her that he didn’t think he was ever going to be allowed to go to heaven because of the things that had happened in Iraq. She told me that it had surprised them a lot when he had called her husband and asked him to baptize him. Elder Kelly and I are very grateful we were able to be there to watch it all happen. There is a different feel in their house now from what it used to be. I remember the first time we went to meet them, it was a very serious meeting, and he told us that he had been through a few sets of missionaries, and that he was getting frustrated with us coming over because he didn’t feel like he was getting anything out of it anymore. There was a huge difference between that first meeting and the lesson we had last night after the confirmation. The whole family was there. Everyone was happy, and you could feel the spirit in the room. I know that the Gospel changes people’s lives. I’ve watched it happen. I didn’t really see the blessing of having the gospel in my life when I was back home, because I’ve always had it. But being able to come out here and help other people find the gospel has helped me see all the blessings that are there for us because of the gospel. I’m so grateful that I was able to come here. I can’t imagine what my life would be like now without this great experience. Thanks for the great example you have always set for me.

Love Elder Marshall

Dear Family

Hey how is your week going this week? Anything exciting going on?
Its been kindof crazy here. Where do I even start… Elder Kelly and I have been working really hard this week. We have been working a lot with the barber family. The dad of the family is getting baptized on Saturday. He has been kindof hesitant saying that he isn’t ready yet.
He spent a lot of time in Iraq and wants to be able to have a new start that baptism would give him, but he has wanted to be completely ready for it. To make things even harder, they have a very busy work and school schedual and we have only been able to meet with them once a week. Last week he said he wasn’t ready at all. Then by the time we left he was sincerely thinking about it. Then we saw him yesterday and he told us he wasn’t ready yet. We read 3rd nephi 11 and started talking about how important it was for him. He told us that he really wanted to be baptized, he just wanted to be completely ready. We went over the baptismal interview and set up an interview time. Then thismorning, his wife, who is a member, called us and told us that she had already set up a couple of talks for the baptism, he had said her dad could baptize him, and she wanted to know who she could talk to about playing the piano. The baptism is going to be at 1 on Saturday.
We were pretty excited to get that phone call. It was great. Our
other baptismal dates for this weekend aren’t looking so good though.
I’m pretty confident they will go through eventually, but probably not this weekend. We have had a crazy weekend though. We got a call from our mission president on Friday telling us that the little rock elders were needing to stay with us for a little while. That something had happened whith where they stay that they couldn’t stay there anymore.
So they were with us Friday night. Then Saturday, we were cleaning the church building and Elder Baron and Elder steed, the Aps, came and picked up the younger missionaries. He was supposed to stay with them for a few days, and the other missionary was supposed to stay with us.
Well we were finnishing up cleaning everything, putting everything away, and we noticed that the missionary wasn’t with us anymore. We figured he was just somewhere else cleaning stuff up. So we started looking for him. We couldn’t find him anywhere. Then we went outside
and our car was gone. He had just left. He didn’t have a phone or
anyone with him, so we had to call our mission president. It turned out to be a chase trying to find the kid again. There aren’t any missionaries in the little rock ward. We found out yesturday that we are covering it now. Our area just went from Benton, Bryant, alexander, and all the areas around them, to that and all of Little Rock too. There are a few sets of missionaries up in North little rock and pinacle mountain, but not in Little Rock. So our area went from big, to Huge. So now we are trying to figure out who all there Progressing investigators are and where they are. Its going to be a busy couple weeks till transfers. Well that’s about all from here.
Everything is going great. We are working hard and loving being able to serve here together. Everything is great. I hope everything is going great there.

Love Elder Marshall

Dear Family
Hey how has everything been going there? How is everyone liking school? So did corey go on splits with the missionaries? I bet they liked that, Especially if they’re on bike week. Its been a great week here. Elder Kelly and I have been working great together. We have been riding our bikes a ton. Yesturday we didn’t start riding until about 6 in the evening, and by the time we got back to our apartment, we had ridden 17 and a half miles. I took my gps with us because I wanted to know how much we were riding. I’m going to start keeping track more. It has been a great week though. We have 4 people who are hopefully getting baptized. We are real excited for all of them. Lisa is still working towards her date. She has been going through a lot this week. Her husband might be having to go back to Mexico. We are working with a part member family named the Barbers. The dad of the family is the one we have been teaching. He has been putting off getting baptized because he doesn’t know if he is ready yet. He was in Iraq for 3 years and has been going through a lot since because of it. It has been great being able to see the change that is happening in him as we go over and read out of the book of Mormon with him and talk about the plan of Salvation. He says he really wants to get baptized on the 26th. We are hoping that he will. Another person we have been working a lot with this week is a friend of one of the members here in the ward. Her name is Jessica. She has been coming to church for the last couple weeks and has been starting to come to mutual and work on her personal progress. She says that she has been to a few other churches, but none that have felt like this one does. We have been working hard and have been seeing a lot come from it this week. It has been great. I had an interview with the mission president on Friday. The first thing he asked be about was if it would make me nervous to go back to Spanish speaking. It was a pretty big surprise. I didn’t think I would be going back to Spanish speaking. Right now there is a shortage of Spanish speaking missionaries here. We had 2 go home in the last couple months that weren’t supposed to go home yet. So one of the areas got closed. I told him that I would like to go back to Spanish speaking. Hopefully I will get to. A couple weeks ago when we were in our zone leader council, we had been talking about not having as many missionaries as was needed. I had had a really strong feeling that I should ask about extending so we wouldn’t have to close one of those areas. After President told me about maybe going back to Spanish speaking up in Russellville, I told him that I had wanted to ask him about extending. The transfer after I am supposed to go home is only a 5 week transfer. It’s the transfer when the new mission president will get there and President Drewes goes home. So instead of coming home May 17 I would come home in the end of June I think. It feels right to me. President Drewes said that before anything else I should talk to you and ask what you thought of it before he called the stake president and talked to him about it. Hopefully you’ll get this before I have to go. If not that’s ok too. That’s about all that has been going on here. O ya in the interview, I also had to get a new Temple Recommend. Mine is about to expire. Can you believe its been 2 years since I went to the temple. It doesn’t seem like its been that long. Well I hope everything is going great there. I love you.
Love Elder Marshall

Dear Family

Hey how has everyone’s week been going? Is it pretty nice weather there? Everything has been going good here. I was right. I'm with Elder Kelly in the Benton area. Thats great that Corey found out wich track he will be on. So he doesn't start till next winter? wow thats a long time to wait. I thought he would for sure start earlier than that. I bet he will like it alot though. There was an earthquake here a week ago. We didn’t even feel it though. It was after we went to bed. We are living with a family here though, and they felt it. We heard it was a lot stronger other places than it was here. I wish it would have woken us up. We didn’t even know anything had happened until the next night when we were having dinner with a family. Everything has been going great here though. We are getting a lot of exercise. Our mission’s miles got cut in half for the month of march. So we have been biking everywhere we go now for the last few days. We have about 9 miles a day now that we can drive. So we are going to be doing a lot of bike riding this next week. By the end of the day, we are pretty tired. The family we are living with is the Higgins family. They are both converts to the church. We really like living here. There is a garage between us and the Higgins, but they take care of us pretty well. They have a dog and a huge yard and a shop out back too. It’s a lot different than living in the little house on Maple Street in down town little rock. Everything is a lot more spread out here. We live in a little town called Bryant Arkansas. Our area is pretty big. Its all of Saline county and chunks of Polaski county too. We have been working with Lisa still a lot. She was supposed to be getting baptized this Saturday, but she didn’t come to church again. She told us her family has been getting her to go with them to a Jehovah witness church the last couple weeks. We had a good lesson with her last night. She told us she loves us coming over and teaching her, and she feels the spirit while we are there, and she really enjoyed church, but her family doesn’t like us and they have been working on her trying to get her to go with them. It was a great lesson. We talked to her about the Holy Ghost and how we can find answers to any questions we have through praying and studying the scriptures. We have also been working a lot with a lady named Susie. She was going to get baptized 3 years ago. She was in the water and everything, but she has a huge phobia of water. She never went through with it. Then the missionaries left and we just got back in contact with her. We had a great lesson with her and talked to her about the miracles that God has done all through the bible and talked to her about how if God can do all those huge things, he can help her be baptized. She was still nervous about getting baptized, but she said it was something she wants to work towards. She is getting baptized on the 26th of March. Well that is about all that is going on here. Elder Kelly and I are working hard together. The ward here is great. There are a lot of great members. Thanks for everything you do for me. I hope everyone has a great week.

Love Elder Marshall

Dear Family

Hey how is everything going? How has everyones week been going? We are getting transferred tomorrow. Elder Peinamalie and I both. We got the call yesterday morning. I was kindof surprised that both of us were getting transferred. We call it getting white washed. It doesn’t happen very much. I think I know where I am going though, and who my new companion will be. President Drewes told me that I wouldn’t be getting moved to far, and that I would be getting put into an area with another zone leader. Well Elder Steed used to the other zone leader in the zone, but he is the new AP and his area got white washed too. So I’m pretty sure I’m getting moved to Benton Arkansas, and I think my new companion is going to be Elder Kelly. I trained him when we were in Collierville. I hope I’m right. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow afternoon. Everything has been going good here. We have a baptism on Thursday. I am hoping I will be able to come up for it. Its for Marquise Philips. He is Brother Philips’ Grandson. Brother Philips is one of the active members in the Unit. We had a really small church service this last week. When sacrament meeting started, there were only 15 people there. Including 6 missionaries. It was kindof sad. Usually there is more like 30 people there. We had three investigators there though. And a new member that we found. I don’t think I’ve told you about her yet. We found her a couple weeks ago. She is going to school up at the Baptist collage right now. She says she is the only white girl that goes there. She is pretty funny and we have really enjoyed getting to know her. She was very excited to be able to start coming to church again. She got baptized a few years ago up in morelton. We went to go see her last Tuesday I think, She told us she had cancer. She had gotten a call from her doctor earlier that day and had been told that her 40% chance of survival had just been changed to a 25% chance of survival and that her cancer was now Terminal. We were the first people she talked to about it. She doesn’t have any family here in little Rock. The little unit has become her family. She was immediately accepted and loved by the little unit. She has only been to church once so far since we met her, and we have met with her a couple times with members besides that, but she is already a part of the family here on Maple street. I don’t think I have ever been in a place where the ward or branch is such a close group as it is here. You can feel the love they have for each other. I am going to miss it a lot. I wish I could stay here longer. O well the next place will be great too. Well I hope you are having a great day. Thanks for everything you do for me.

Love Elder Marshall

Dear Family



Hey how is everything going for you there? I hope everyone is getting over being sick. So you are going up to Idaho this weekend? I bet that will be a fun trip. Its been a pretty crazy week this week. Sorry if I gave you a bit of a scare on Wednesday. That was Elder Steed that called you. He came out with me. We were on our way down for a district meeting in Camden Arkansas, then we were going to go on exchanges with the Hot springs Elders and the Monticello Elders. We had met up with the Hot springs Elders earlier in the morning and were riding to district meeting with them. Well we were almost to Camden, and we got pulled over by a highway patrol. The missionary who was driving was speeding. Well when the officer asked to see his license, he couldn’t find it so the officer asked him to come back to the police car with him so he could put his name into his computer. After a few minutes, the police officer found out that the missionary’s license was suspended. The three of us left were just waiting in the car watching, and after a few minutes, the police officer told the missionary to turn around and put his hands on the car so he could search him. After he got done, he handcuffed the missionary and put him in the back of the police car. We weren’t sure what we were supposed to do after that. The officer called Elder Steed and I out to talk to him and told us that we needed to follow him to the police station. When we got there we got told that for him to get out of jail, we needed to pay the bail which was $590. That’s why I had to get money out of my account. Elder Steed and I split most of it, and the other missionary picked up the rest. He was in jail though for a good hour and a half. While we were in there, a few of the police officers came out and were talking to us and told us we couldn’t have had a more aggressive officer pull us over. None of us knew that he was driving with a suspended license though. He didn’t know either. The officer told him that it was from when he was back home in Arizona, but The missionary said he had paid all his tickets, and he had been pulled over before while he was here in Arkansas and nothing had been said about it. But that’s why we called on Wednesday. It turned out to be a pretty rough day. We were all interviewed by President Drewes and the Missionary got moved to another part of the mission. Then later that night, Elder Steed and I found out another missionary from Idaho Falls had gone home earlier in the morning. It turned out to be a bad day in our zone. Hopefully this next week will be a lot better. Sunday was kind of crazy too. There weren’t very many adults there at church, but there were a lot of kids. Right in the middle of sacrament meeting, they all got rowdy and started goofing off. All the missionaries were being used to pass the sacrament, so we couldn’t help much. The Unit leader got up and took them all out to the car and took them home. When they left, it was like half the congregation was gone. Well that’s about all the excitement from here this week. There should be a letter coming in the mail with a check for $255 and aletter. I hope you have a safe trip to Idaho this week. Have fun.



Love Elder Marshall

Dear family

Hey how is everything going this week? How is everyone liking being
back in school? sorry this is the third week in a row I have been
late sending out an email. All the libraries were closed yesterday
because of the snow. School is still out. We got about 3 or 4
inches. Little Rock shuts down when it snows here. We got to do some
service because of it though. Sunday night the roads were really
slick. So if the cars stoped going up a hill or at a stop sign, they
couldn’t get started again. So there were a lot of cars getting
stuck. So we helped push them up the little hills and get going after
the stop signs. It was fun. They wouldn’t role backwards down the
hill, just sit there and spin the tires. So a couple of us behind
them pushing made the difference. The baptism went really good on
Sunday. We went to the funeral with Luis on Saturday. Then Sunday
was Stake conference. It was a broadcast from salt lake. President
Monson and Elder Perry were the speakers. Then the baptism was right
after. Lol she didn’t want to go under the water. She was fine
walking down into it, but after I said the prayer and was trying to
get her under the water, she didn’t want to do it. Lol It took a few
tries and a few times saying the prayer. Finally, Elder Nield had to
find a jump suit and come into the water too. It still took a couple
tries and we finally just slid her down under real fast. Lol I think
everyone was having a good time watching except the three of us in the
water. Well I’m getting transferred again. Not to far though. Just
to the other side of maple street. I’m taking Elder Cowan’s place.
So I just move bedrooms. We have another general authority that is
coming to the mission. Elder Gonzales is going to be here on Friday.
He is the area 70 for the south east part of North America. There
are 6 or 7 companionships that are being invited to come and meet with
him. We are one of them. We are pretty excited for that. Then the
next week is when Elder Sybrowskie is coming. Lots of great stuff is
going to be happening. Then on top of it all. Elder Peinamalie (my
new companion) and I are going to be having a baptism on Saturday.
Lots of great stuff. I haven’t started working on anything with the
application stuff for BYUI. I forgot about it all. Ill be seeing
President Drewes at the transfer meeting tomorrow though and I’ll ask
him about it there. Thanks for the reminder. I hope you have a great
week this week. I miss you.

Love Elder Marshall