7-25-11

Hey Mom,
That would have been a blast to be there with all the family, and it is a little weird with Bruce being home, but not too weird. This week was pretty fun, a little slow, but good. For Golden Days the parade was cool and we had a barbeque after with some of the members. Then we saw a rubber duck race down the river that practically the whole town went to. I'll put in a picture. Something else neat is we've seen a bunch of foxes lately in the evenings. Other than that we've just been trying to work hard and be motivating to get the ward a little more involved in the missionary work. We did get to teach Shelby, and ended up taking most of the day, because she cooked us lunch and we helped her move a couple things around. It was a good visit, she really wants to have a strong conversion and understanding, and then she said she wants to start working on her family. We went biking again today, so it was a great way to start the week. I love you and am so grateful for the many thoughtful prayers from you and everyone else. I hope you get to enjoy some time with Bruce. It sounds like he's already having some fun.
Elder Bryce Wainwright

7-18-11

Hey :) I did realize I gave you the wrong area code so I wasn't surprised to not get your package. I'm glad you figured it out, but I haven't gotten it yet so probably soon. Saturday was great. We did service most the day, most of last week for that matter. We had a nice moose burger and salmon dinner with the McGraw's and our ward mission leader's family. We played Apples to Apples too so it was great. Thanks for having a birthday cake for me and Bruce :)
It's a little weird covering just 1st ward again, but feels like I went back home, and the ward was happy to have us totally there too. That's way awesome and funny Elder Fryer's mom called you. I really do hope we can help improve the work here. We had our first interview with President Beesley and his wife Saturday, and now I'm not so sure I'll stay here next transfer too, but we'll see. I'm impressed at how planned out Bruce's homecoming thing is, sounds like a blast. I can't believe it's this week. Up here they have a festival called Golden Days on the 23rd and the ward invited us to come to the parade with them so I'll be having fun too. My email is so late because a part member guy took us fishing for Arctic Greyling today. They were tiny, but it was nice. I probably won't have time to tell everyone, but let them know I'm grateful for the nice letters I got. I got one from Gma and Gpa Wainwright too.
You're so great. I love you too!
Elder Bryce Wainwright

PS- Me and Elder Fryer in the picture

7-5-11 - 7-12-11

7-5-11

Hey Mom,
I can't believe you didn't write me. I guess I said I wouldn't be able to email. However, our new mission President told the Zone Leaders that we could email for an hour today. So, we were excited about that. We were able to meet President Beesley on Saturday. Most of it was just him and his wife talking about themselves and we were able to ask them some questions. I like them both a lot already. President Beesley was the head of security for Lockheed Martin and has helped design and test fly a lot of the new military jets, and during lunch he showed us some videos of his test flights. We had a really nice Sunday too. We went to Sacrament at 11 in 6th ward, then drove an hour down to Nenana for Sacrament, then drove another hour down to Healy and set a date for an investigators baptism who is down there. We stayed and went to their church at 5pm (because of all the tour guides who work on Sundays). We taught the Gospel Principles class and had a nonmember there someone brought with her who had never heard anything about the church, but he stayed all three hours. By the end of church he wanted a triple combination and the Gospel Principles manual to read. So, that was pretty cool. We spent the night at a member's home in Nenana so that on Monday we could help out with the town Fourth of July festival. That was a really fun way to spend the Fourth and was definitely the most exciting part of this week. Small towns are so cool, and the members acted like we were celebrities who never get to come around.
Brandon told me he got a full time job to teach at Price. That's pretty exciting. It seemed like he had a fun birthday too. Well, I don't have too much more time. I just wanted to let you know how my week went.
Love you,
Elder Bryce Wainwright

Next week is transfers, so I'll write you on Tuesday again. I'm pretty sure I'll stay, but who knows.
7-12-11

Haha, I knew you would feel bad for not getting a letter to me, but it was my fault and I was happy I got to send you something. The college library was closed on the 5th too, but when this black lady we were doing service for heard that we couldn't email our families, she called up her daughter who was in the computer labs to let us in so we could write you.
So transfers, we were pretty sure that if anyone was leaving it would be the other trainer, Elder Boyer, but it turned out that Elder Hartelius went to North Anchorage and Elder Boyer and I are separating into our old areas. Elder Boyer is training again, and the funny thing is I'm getting Elder Fryer who is from St. George too. He was in Fairbanks in the ward on Fort Wainwright. I'm way excited for this transfer and we have some good things started in 1st ward. It's kinda weird not having three of us anymore, and I probably will miss how busy we were covering so much area last transfer. Hopefully, we can make things this busy in 1st ward.
I have a fun birthday planned. I found out a less active member who's wife we're teaching has the same birthday (David and Anne McGraw) so they want us over for dinner, and they invited our ward mission leader's family too. It should be way fun and good for the McGraws too

Thanks for thinking of me, and all the reminders. Have a great week, and I will too.
Love, Elder Bryce Wainwright

PS- Our mission president swapped from Russia as well as another president because Russia was questioning if the US was sending in CIA intelligence through missionaries. And President Beesley knows more about the new military jets than probably anyone in the world. A good reason to pull him out, but it was cool when President Beesley shared how each mission president that was switched had some kind of experience to confirm that they were where they were supposed to be. Pretty cool.