HUMP DAY!!!!!!!

IT'S HUMP DAY!!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S HUMP DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is finally here - everyone tells me that the second year goes faster & they better be right.  It seems like Seth has been gone for years sometimes.  I will admit there are times when I can't believe it has been a year, but they are much fewer.  Then there are days like today when I am surfing around the internet and find a missionary blog and see the most handsome boy ever smiling next to someone that is has been teaching the gospel to:

Elder Arnett, Alaina and mom Brenda Bangi, Elder Stoor
Lila Lum, Jeanette Huston, and Sister Porter

He has told us all about Brenda & her adorable little girl ~ isn't she a cutie!!

When I see a little face like that it makes it all worth not having my boy at home for a couple of years.  Brenda got baptized last week & this little girls life will be forever changed because Seth was there to teach her mom.  I love my missionary & I will gladly share him with the people in Washington D.C., but that doesn't mean I won't count down the days til I get a big hug!  365 & counting down!!!!!!!!!!

hello

Wednesday, Wonnacot's had us for dinner! They are a pretty cool family. Some younger kids some that are 2 or 3 year's from a mission, Then after dinner we just went out and worked for about an hour. Had a really good spiritual thought there. Played a little bit of an church apples to apples game we played at church...it was fun and spiritual. Tis good for the kids.
Thursday...no proselyting on Thanksgiving...So we went to a Turkey Bowl in the morning and was running around playing football with adults and a couple of young kids it was really fun except i was the only one that can catch a ball it seemed like haha. Wish i coulda played football..afterwards a little basketball. We were there from like 8 to 1 haha. I fell and my teeth cut my lip pretty bad but it is all healed now. This made me super super sore. A week later i feel like i am just getting over it. I am getting old it feels like haha. Then we came home and did a little Weekly Planning like we were supposed to do and then we had dinner at a member's. Deep fried a turkey...no more roasting when i come home. Deep Fried Turkey is the best think i have had on my mission haha. Gordy's were there names and they are nice people. Had a spicy stuffing too and it was amazing good.
Friday, This was the most sore i have ever been. We went out and just did some missionary work. It seemed like everyone was home cause of the holiday's so that was really good. We set up lots of appointments for next week and We also got 4 referral today for the Spanish. It was kinda crazy how many referrals we got. highest referral day for me so far! I could hardly walk around today.
Saturday! We had another good day haha i don't have my planner with me so i don't remember what we did on these days till monday haha. I think we may have had a dinner appointment again...i love getting fed and One of these day's it was with Bro Brown! This guy is pretty cool. Is doing a big miniture train thing. It takes up the whole garage and he has a lot of time to work on it cause his health is pretty bad. He has had a rough life the past 5 years. Apparently he lived with a staff infection for like a year and it is one of those infections the docter doesn't know how he lived. Supposed to have died from it like 9 months before they found it. He was not active in the church at the time and it took that experience to get him back. It is good that he is back.
Sunday, Church was not very attended cause half the ward was up in New York cleaning up so that is good. This ward is really great tho. Alot of really cool members. We had the Dougals, the office couple who are assigned to our ward to take us to Brenda's baptism...she got under! It was a neat experience to be there! That is 3 now i guess! And counting...
Then came back and the sister's had a baptism...in our ward it is split between us and sister's Sister Joost and Nakatasuka...not sure if i spelled them right. They are pretty good and had a baptism. We are also taking over there area for the Festival of Lights. They are at the V.C. most of the time so we get to have all there appointments at night. It is going to be tough i think but it should be do able. They are letting us keep our car and giving us more miles so that is good.
Monday, we were out of miles so we started biking! I couldn't keep up with e. Peterson and we went into a bike store and i got me some skinny tires haha. They are about a 1/4 the size of the other one's. It is super nice and should have done it a long time ago...and they were on sale...saved like $15 so it was swell...we also were able to get alot done, We found 3 new investigators today...Lewis, Carolina, and Shawn. All i think have potential so it is very very good...we met with a less active that isn't really smart at all! haha I hate teaching dumb people sometimes...but i love it all at the same time.
We then had a sweet dinner with Gladys Mu..... Was very good. Gave us a refferal for the ASL, Her son Idi is sweet and we are going to start to take him out. I have found a good friend in him and he is gonna keep me updated on all the sports so i like him alot haha. We stayed prolly a little longer than we should have but it was just fun to sit down and talk. E. Peterson gave a really good spiritual thought on a moth and trials haha. Might could send it to ya...by Boyd K Packer i think...look it up maybe
Tuesday, was really cold so we drove today...met a few people, Had a lesson with Stacy Staples, she is a sweet elderly lady who lives alone had a really good first lesson with her and just am hoping she will progress and find out this is true but i am not expecting too much out of her but hopefully she surprises me...We had a meeting with Janae Lawrence, she is a black girl getting ready to turn in her paper's and we are encouraging and she loves to have us over. It is fun to just sometimes open up and talk and just have some fun and that is what we did with her...just got to know her and laughed a little bit. She will be a great missionary...then we had a meeting with the Shaffer's Scott and Gale...They are pretty sweet! I felt right at home at there house it was weird. She grew up Mormon...he was Jewish. She stopped going to church in college and just hasn't felt worthy to come back to church and found another one she feels better in haha. He converted to Christianity in 2004. Said he was never going to do that but he did. Said he would never marry a mormon and did. It was just a good meeting. I love them so much. We started to just answer all there ?'s and then it led into a plan of salvation and we taught the whole thing. Super spiritual. They ate it all up too. It was cool to see it one there faces. Prolly the best P.o.S. i have ever taught and it was mainly them teaching. They understand scriptures really good. I am looking forward to good times with them! We are going to Jenny Oaks Baker on Monday with them and dinner on Tuesday with them so it is gonna be fun! he likes to cuss and is a country boy so i kinda feel at home haha
today was good too, we went to E. Lott's apartment cause he has laundry, he is with E. Moss right now so we played a board game and did laundry and then went and took a pic with Santa with the sister's for a thank you card for the Ward. Will send ya one and will send pics next week hopefully.
I don't really want much for Christmas, just pics from friends and letters haha. Its all i ask.
gonna maybe sit down write Colten, Parker, and see how they are doing. i am terrible at writing letter's sometime. Some days you just aren't in the mood and it only happens once a week so not a lot of time to write.
Thanksgiving sounds like it was fun, Doug and Kendall look big haha, everyone changes in two years i think and i am at one year!
Next week i can say in a year i will be home haha. I think it is going to go by really fast now. Transfer's zip by for me right now and only have like 8 of those left. Crazy crazy.
I don't know much else to say exept i really like this area and my companion so it will be a really quick transfer. I love being able to just go out and work and have someone who knows just as much as me about what to do. he has been out 9 months so it is super duper nice!
Well if there is anything specific you want to know just ask!
Love Elder Seth Stoor

Feast of Sharings

Sister Matsumori posted a new blog about the Feast of Sharing.  Go check it out - amazing how they pitched in to feed so many.  Looks like Elder Stoor will be in charge of carving the turkey when he gets home.

http://teachallnations5014.blogspot.com

Elder Stoor was transferred!

So Wednesday didn't do much haha not very long to go work!
Thursday, We Weekly Planned for the last time together. It was a quick easy one and just got alot talked about! We had a meeting with Earl where we may or may not have just played a game of chess with him! He beat us both and then we talked about him getting baptized! Should be fun. Hopefully he will.
We then saw Sis Jones, had a good conversation about prayer! Go look at the October Ensign and the article on prayer. It is really really good!
After we went over to Kirk's and taught him a little about faith! We were late and was going to do service but didn't end up doing much! I was super tired and slept for dinner didn't eat and my comp didn't set an alarm and so we were about an hour late. Best nap i have had in my life tho. Kirk laughed when we told him we fell asleep. It was funny.
Friday, we went on a blitz with Elder Fisher and Rushton and just talked with everyone! Talked to prolly 80 people between us and not one thing from it...take it back a referral for the Spanish. It was fun tho and just good to be out with four of you hitting the streets.
We then had a awful lesson. Teaching just sucked on our part and it was with...Jigga...Big Mama Michelle. This mom is HUGE! It was just a super fun lesson tho. She is a really good person! She danced with Elder Fisher at the end! Oh boy...i have never seen a butt go from the behind to the side then to the other side...Called Jigga for a reason and it was super funny. Also said the closing prayer with her daughter and her friends that are 20 so it was kinda weird but funny ending...wanted us to go to the club.
Then we had a meeting with Stephanie that night! It was good to finally see her again! It has been since September! We had a really good lesson and just always seem to catch her at the best possible time! She has been really busy but will hopefully start to have time to meet with us!
Sat, Meeting in the morning...Tried to talk to people and was checking on everyone it seemed like today...we met with Brenda...she is just the best. our roommates came and it was good cause we needed a 3rd male. Lesson really just wasn't good and i wasn't very happy about it. Our teaching just sucked! But we did get her to ask her friend to baptize her so next week she will be baptized by a friend!
Brenda did still stay in the next lesson...this was at the church...with Jeannette and Lila and the Porter's! Taught the same thing and it was a 180 degree difference! it went really good! Taught P.O.S. with W.o.W and Chasity! I love teaching Chastity it is just awkward from the very beginning it is great! These two will both be baptized tho and i am very excited about it! Brenda on this Sunday coming up so i will get to go back for it!
Sun, was Stake Conference  It was freaking General Conference worthy talks...They were so good. First one was on the Atonement and Grace and how it is all by the grace of the atonement that it works...just blew my mind haha. Another was about having distractions and how much we can get ourselves doing then we can't feel the spirit in our lives! Twas good too
We then went to Bro Peguse! This man is AWESOME! We watched the Redskins game, gave him the sacrament and i had a really good talk with him! I am so grateful for this man and i have loved the friendship we have made! News about him coming up but this meeting was the best and we almost didn't give him the sacrament but we ended up doing it!
Mon, We went and helped prepare food at the feast of sharing. They feed the homeless and the first half of the day we were preparing food for it. Cutting chicken and turkey, cutting pies sure it is all over the mission blog! Coming from our apartment...Sis Holt in jeans should be illegal! Especially in front of Pres.
 we then had a sweet meeting with a cool new investigator! Izzy is his name and it was just fun! Awesome lesson, we then went to go see Kishea...she is officially a Levite and she has the Priesthood! She is ridiculous! and also today was Elder Arnetts Birthday! I took him to Moroni's Pizza Place for dinner! it was good. we had a good fun day capped off with Call Out Night, we played pool and bang and had some fun and found out i was leaving and going to a car area! YAY!
Tuesday!, Chucked out today cause it is chuck out tuesday! Packed in the morning and then we went to go say goodbye to Bro Peguse...We learn that he collapsed and he was taken to a hospital...we went to the hospital right away...found out that he had passed away. It was like having a family member die for me. He was a truly awesome man! They let us in and we seen his body...there is truly a difference when the spirit leaves. You can really notice the difference  It just wasn't him. We read a scripture together...Alma 40:11-12...this scripture has never been so real than it was there in the hospital. We then held hands and said a last prayer with him. This is when i started to cry. I was pretty good till then and i just every time i think of it now i just go into tears. I know the Plan of Salvation is real...i know he is in a better place, he lived a good long life. Born in 1928, but there is just some reason it is hard. Today was just hard.
After we went to Sis Macks and that made it better....then to Ihop...then me and elder arnett left our roommates and went to Mia...then to the church for FHE! Then me and elder fisher went down to Zeitsman! Twas good meetings and saying goodbye just sucks! I hate it...especially the for good goodbye's. It is time to leave tho i would go crazy if i stayed for another!
Wednesday! We go to the Transfer meeting now...hate it cause they just changed the format and we have a meeting where we find out who our comp and area is in the morning! I don't like it one bit...but i am with Elder Peterson! he was in the DC 3rd District when i got there and he left the transfer before i. He was with Elder Goodman so he had a rough six weeks...Should be fun for us both tho. I think i will really like him. We are in Quince Orchard East Area. Up in Gaithersburg...will have to let ya know about it next week!
For Christmas ..i really want to skype i will be honest...don't know if it is allowed here but tell me what you think...i don't really need anything for Christmas ..just some caramels will be nice haha. maybe an ipod classic too :], or a nice long letter from everyone! including some friends. that would be the best present in the whole wide world! and a picture of everyone too...i like to have more pictures if i could from you guys and friends!
Thanksgiving is a non pros day so we have football with the ward in the morning and then a dinner...should be fun! Weekly Plan the rest of the time.

congrats to bailey simmons i guess haha didn't know they were dating. Wes will be a good missionary! so will Tanner...kinda weird how it all happens. Wonder if they will be companions.
Well i don't have much to tell ya else...Love you and thanks for all you do!
Love Elder Seth Stoor!!!

What's happening!

Wed, was just dumb had to stay in all day long! Played alot of pool and had a good dinner that night at the church, got a ride there!

Thurs, was interviews! This was the wierdest interview yet. I was on the verge of tears the whole time just talking about some things that are stressful to me. Mostly just kinda talked about you guys. I dunno if i will ever get over being homesick, it is just something i have learned to deal with. Also with missionary stuff, have had a hard time lately with everything. I hope by next week i will be out in the country somewhere and out of the city! i have served inside the beltway my whole mission and it is all just city. I want to go see some farms again! I kinda hope i go down to Southern Maryland.

After interviews, we just went out and worked and had a meeting with Kirk! This guy is my favorite! During the meeting, Elder Gumbi called me from California and it was nice to say goodbye to him. I will miss him alot. We played basketball a ton together! I dunno really the truth to why he went home early, but i guess he does.

Kirk is doing good tho, finally went inside his house for the first time. It is kinda a mess in there. He lives alone so you can imagine. Hopefully he will let us help him clean it! Keep askin everytime i go over there.
Met a cool guy named Darrell. He is super smart on the Bible or at least so he says and seems like he could be a good leader for the ward if we get him haha. Just prayed with him on the street and got his number. Hopefully we can meet with him.

Fri, Weekly Planned today! Got that all done and met with Mia. She is doing good still. Is a little sick and she didn't come to church again so we are a little frustrated with her. Prolly will say goodbye to her this week! Don't want to but she needs to come to church before she will be able to progress. Prolly gonna leave with an invitation with a notice we will set up the next meeting when she comes to church. Also met with Sis Jackson! She is a good lady! I sometimes question if she is there or not. She loves the church tho and that is what matters!

Sat, Had our missionary meeting, our ward mission leader forgot to tell us he went out of town so that was fun. haha But we went to lunch then went and talked with people. On average i shoot to talk to 10 people a day and lately have been hitting it. It is kinda a goal # but of course you try to talk with everyone. I think on average this last week i talked with 12 to 14 a day so not bad i guess. Have had a couple recently wanted to learn. Still not a lot but alot better than the last couple of weeks. Met with Jeanette with the Porter's! She is wierd. Can't tell if she is accoutable or not but i hope that she is. Hopefully she will go down on the 2 of December! Also ran into a man named Kenny Rodgers and had a good lesson with him. He is a smart guy whose religion is fairly accurate haha

Sun, Munch and Mingle is always great! Jeanette and Brenda came to church! Bro Peguse is the man! We then went to the V.C. With Jeanette and watched a trumpet people play!

Mon, We took Brenda to the V.C.! That was one of the most spiritual expierences on my mission! J.S. movie just put her in tears. She is gonna be going down on the 25th of this month. She is the most prepared person i have ever taught on my mission. She has the cutest little girl Alaina. Brenda walked into another church two weeks ago and said she wanted to be baptized! YAYA. We will do it for her! Also District Meeting in the morning then the man J.S. Armstrong took us all out to lunch! Love that guy.

Tues, Finally got some refferals in the phone! 3 today after i don't believe getting one for the last two transfers! Interesting. found a guy out of some false information...Izzy haha what a name. Then had a good g-q with a guy on a bike named Andrew. He might be interesting but we will have fun with him next week! Then had another good FHE last night! Taught Brenda with a couple members for like 30 minutes before on the Plan of Salvation. Then had an Atonement lesson. Then watched Mormons helping hands video about hurricane sandy it is super duper good go look it up! Then had a fun time watching sherrates with black people.

today we went to the temple and played tennis with Elder Porter! Had a really fun time. I love tennis.
Well everything kinda just dropped about last week and the locked out thing. Just isn't worth getting it through his head that he was in the wrong. but i am over it.

Well I don't have much time left so i better git going! Love ya so much and don't send letters to 16th street anymore! hopefully will be out of here by next week!

Just some socks for Christmas and i believe that is all i really want. More of the same one's you got me for my birthday! other than that i don't need much. Not really anything at all.

Thanks for your prayers they are much needed and have been felt this week.
Love ya so much and keep the e-mails coming!
Talk to ya next week somewhere!

Hey Family!

How is everything this week?
Wednesday was Halloween! Just stayed inside at night and got our weekly planning done so we did not have to do it on Thursday which freed up the day!
Thursday was an okay day, We had a couple appointments! Nkosi is a less-active but apparently just has been in Africa the last six months and is leaving this week again. Tried to help her change her locks and just had a good meeting with her regardless. Shared a scripture and she told us she was coming to church but didn't so people are crazy! We then ran into a white guy and he talked to us! Gave us his information and everything! I was super duper surprised! He seemed a little crazy tho so maybe that is why. Has a good job, so can't be too bad, but we shall see if he gave us the right information! We then just rode around trying to find more people and checking on a couple. With it being cold there is not very many people out on the streets anymore. Have to hit the right time,now. We then had a dinner with Aster! She is the best cook in the world! I love Ethiopian food. She is truly an example to me cause she doensn't know very much English yet but she can feel the Spirit! Kind of a reminder that the spirit is what converts and not what we say! Then we went a little late to our appointment and we found him in his underpants. He let us in, Gidy is his name, and we had a good lesson on Moroni 10. Didn't read and it is what we left him so we read it with him. I don't know if he will progress much more but we shall see. Met a sweet guy named Arthur! Had a really good conversation with him and just excited to go and see him!
Friday, Went on Exchange again! Elder Rushton. Wasn't as bad as i thought it was going to be. Elder Rushton is one of the most prideful people i know and i just don't mix with it. I joke all the time about being prideful and i am super prideful when it comes to basketball but i do it to have fun, but i hate pride. He was okay today tho. Taught alot. 5 lessons. Just a tad on last week for number's, we went on too exchanges and both times i went to their area and they taught 14 lessons and i was in 10 of them haha. Can't teach people in my own area but sure can in the others. Had a good meeting with Andrei! Only one worth talking about. I really love this man. Super humble and just wants to be a mormon. Knows it is true from the getgo this time around. Was taught 3 years ago. Planted seeds then harvest. I hate always having to feel like a seed planter tho. Feels like that is what i am doing.
Saturday, Met with Carl Russell. He is crazy haha. He is totally there but just some things he says...weed messed him up good when he was young that is for sure. Cool guy and has a super solid testimony so it was a good visit, but he talked for like 45 minutes without an interruption from one of us haha. Then had a meeting with Sharonda Carr. Been a few weeks trying to meet with her and finally did and it was super good! I don't know what my companion was thinking but jumped from about prophets to restoration and completely left out savior's earthly ministry haha. It worked but i think might have confused her. Everyone else says to teach people not lessons which is a fundamental  but i think it should be worded differently. Teach people lessons. You have to apply it to them and don't really worry about an order you teach it in. Just go by what you feel.. We then came back and took dinner, then about ready to leave then Sis Zeitsman called! Told us dinner was ready where was everyone. Wish she would call before she made food sometimes haha. She is a great lady and super good cook and no one knew it was tonight. Thought she was still out of town. Well we booked it down and had two dinners! Yeah love the bike. makes me eat a lot!
Sunday, Church! Fast and Testimony Meeting! Sis Mack singin is the best! Bytheway i might have told her that i was going to tell Chris Banks to write her and she had the biggest smile on her face so might want to tell him that i threw him under that bus haha. It was just a really good meeting! We also had an investigator there! Kishea! I am excited for her, she really enjoyed church! Hopefully the spirit got to her cause she needs it..stay tuned...After Church, we had a lesson with Janette...it actually held and she brought her crazy roommate that told us she was Mormon...well she is just crazy and didn't help with the lesson. Except she swallowed everything my dreamy eyed comp had to say haha. Every black girl thinks he is cute haha. The lesson went really good prolly cause we had it at the church! Put her on date for December 2, but we seen her both monday and tuesday and her accountability is going downhill everytime so i hope it isn't too good to be true cause she soaked up every part of the Restoration! Then, Bro Peguse! I love this guy! I am going to miss him for sure! Love being able to take the sacrament to him! i feel like that is an ordinance we take for granted for! I hope to never do that again! It truly has a power in it to take you through the next week! After we went to Pres. Matsumori's home for an FHE! It was good. We brought Kirk along and it was just super fun to be with him! He is a quiet guy but when he speaks he makes it count! Man of few words but he is one of the brightest people in D.C.! Told him i wanted to have Christmas at his place and he said BaHumBug it was super funny! FHE was good tho. Kinda lame but desert was good! I don't know if i will be going back to one of those tho just because i didn't find it too helpful. Good idea, and it was nice to see the Mission Home again and if our investigators want to meet Pres. then i will definitely go again. They do one every other month so we shall see!
Monday, Had District Meeting! Then afterwards, comp study and before we got out the apartment, news come that one of my really good friends here went home! Elder Gumbi. Emotions with that have been hard to deal with. I don't know what to do sometimes. Thing is i really don't like a lot of the missionaries in the mission and it sucks when one you do like goes home. I can count on my hands the number of missionaries i like! Missionaries get on my nerves and even sometimes i get on my nerves. Today was really hard tho and just really mixed feelings on everything. Not alot went on today and no one was out when we went out. Called people to invite for FHE tomorrow night and just went and walked out over to Mia's! I love her so much and i am afraid we will have to drop her unless she comes to church! Explained it to her for the last 8 weeks so this last two weeks have been some bold lessons. She has the best excused tho, she was in the hospital for this last one. She is just afraid of quitting smoking and coffee tho. I think she knows it is true tho. Had too many spiritual meetings with her. Things better change.
Tuesday was great! We had a lesson in the afternoon with Kishea! She is the one that came to church! Yay! Investigator who might progress...well except for the fact that she is a Hebrew Israelite who believes that only a Levite can baptize her. Well, she is pretty hard nosed as usual with those kind of people. She is really cool tho, is it 2 Nephi where it talks about being learned. I feel like if you know too much there is not much room for the Spirit to work with her. I hope it will, but we pretty much dropped her but she says she will come to church again and believes just about everything we taught. Not sure tho on what to do with someone who just thinks she knows freaking everything, which i give her props she knows her stuff just isn't very open to feeling the spirit. She did feel it during the First Vision which i don't know if i have not felt the spirit when i teach or when my comp teaches it cause it is prolly the most powerful thing that we teach!
We then kinda was just out talking to people and found one new investigator who told us to meet at McDonald's on Monday and gave us a legit phone number, but i am worried a little bit...haha
We also had the first official DC 3rd Ward FHE!!!! It was super super good. Taught cups and had Elder Fisher come and shoot it down with a nerf gun that was exciting, we then watched the Joesph Smith Movie! Last 10 minutes of the short one. It was super good. Had a recent returned member Bro Bryant go and pick up a brand new person who showed up at another ward and said she wanted to be baptized and she lives in our area!!!! YAY Her name is Brenda and she has the cutest 1 year old daughter! We played musical chairs and it was just a good night. Brenda is gonna get baptized prolly this transfer so i love golden prepared people!
Had a good reminder also about Faith this week. Forgot a little about how Faith works on how we learned from Elder Bednar. My prayers have gone back to being object instead of adgent. Things are really hard right now and i hope that as i try to go back to having more faith then it will be good. Action is the most important thing we can do. Even sometimes things just don't work out, and it is really hard to feel the spirit. I think those are the times where it is the hardest but really the only good thing to do is to exercise faith in someway. Scriptures are really good and i am grateful for the lessons i have learned in my studies lately!
I am grateful for this gospel, It is the most important thing in the world! Grateful for the biggest trial of my life...my mission. It has taught me alot and i know it is going to give me the foundation i need!
Thanks for everything and we shall talk to ya next week!