"In the Oregon Eugene, where the air is Pure and Clean"

It has been a crazy week, but a really good one! I really hope that i will be able to include everything that happened in this email. So i will just go threw day by day

Monday: went in the transfer van on my way to Eugene. Once we got there I met my companion (Elder Gowen) We got here a little after 7 and the last Elders here scheduled a appointment for 7 pm. So we went directly there, the lesson went well, it was with Keith and Teresa, they are great, i will talk more about them in next weeks letter. We went back to the apartment that night and got mostly unpacked.

Tuesday: Elder Gowen and i were able to get to know each other pretty well, He is really cool kid and we really got along. He is from South Jordan, has 10 siblings and he went to marine boot camp before he came out. We did a lot of tracting tuesday and went pretty well.

Wednesday: It was a pretty normal day, we were able to meet the ward leaders, it was a pretty common mission day.

Thursday: usually we have district meeting on Thursdays, but last week President had us do a sacrifice and give up our district meeting and tract for those two hours. After each district meeting there is a correlation meeting for the zone leaders and district leaders, so we were still able to that even though we didn't have district meeting. It was pretty cool we discussed the Elders in the zone and i learned a lot more about the things i do as a district leader and how to be a good one.

Friday: Friday was a pretty common day, we had some awesome tracting, we set up a few lessons, and more than half the people took a pamphlet or Book of Mormon and told us to come back.

Saturday: Saturday was a crazy day! we started out by going tracting right in the morning, and once we were out for a little over a hour we realized that we forgot the phone, so we decided to take our lunch early so we could go back to get it. When we went back we had like 20 missed alerts, including 2 texts, 2 calls and a message from President. We immediately called him back, and he told us that he needed Elder Gowen to go back to his old area and switch with the Elder that replaced him (Elder Charelson) they told us to be at the mission home at @ 2 on sunday and we would be switching then.

Sunday: Sunday was stake conference, I met the stake pres. sat. night at the adult session and he said that he served with Steve Covey Jr. So we had a great stake conference Pres. and Sister Young were there and they both spoke, and before the stake pres. spoke he said that there was some extra time, and he invited his wife to come up and bare testimony, he said that depending on how long she took one more person might be called up, he said everyone was fair game. My first thought was 'everyone but the missionaries, he is definitely going to call on someone who is actually in the stake. His wife went up and took a very long time, so i was sure he was not going to call on another, but next thing he know he says "Well it looks like we have just a little extra time, enough for one more testimony. Is Elder Covey here? You please stand up. would you come up here and bare your testimony for us?" I was completely shocked, i did not see it coming at all. So i went up and bore a short testimony on The Book of Mormon on the restored gospel and on Christ. I dont remember exactly what i said but i remember feeling comfortable, and i was satisfied the testimony i gave. It was pretty crazy but i was grateful for the opportunity to testify of those great thing, one thing i have tried to focus on, while i have been here on my mission is to testify when ever i have the chance, so that helped me fulfill that.

After stake conference we went to the mission home and i meet with Pres. He explained the situation on why Elder Charelson needed to be here. It was great to talk to President he is a amazing man I love him, and am very grateful for him.

 

I love Eugene it is such a cool place! There are 6 Elders in my district all but me and one other are pretty old, we have the zone leaders in our district, and Elder Charelson and one other Elder have been district leaders, so it will interesting trying to lead these people who know a lot more than me, but i am very exited and i have been thinking about things i can do to lift the district. I am in the Santa Clara 1st and 4th wards, the members here are spectacular! We have full car which is really nice, and instead of a Toyota Corrola like we had in Medford we have a Ford Fussion which is pretty nice. Elder Gowen was great and think we would have done great together, but Elder Charelson also seems superb we get along really well, and he is a experienced missionary so i know i have a lot to learn from him.

Thanks everyone for all prayers and the letters to, I love to know what is going on in your lives. I got your letter Papa and Grandma, I loved it thanks so much, Once i have time i need to write you and tell you about the bishop and his wife in my ward, His name is Greg Hansen and served in a bishopric, when Papa was stake Pres. they said they went to your house once.

I love you all!

Elder Covey 

--
Fearless via Faith

Crater Lake

Last Monday we went to Crater Lake with A recent Convert in Singles ward named Austin. Austin is one of my favorite kids in the whole world, I met him like a week after his baptism. The first time we met we were already great friends, we talked about wakeboarding and stuff.

He would come to lesson with us all the time and he was always awesome to have there! I seriously feel like he is one of my best friends and he is planning on going on a mission next September. we have already planned how we are going to hang out all the time once he is back, because he is going to go to BYU or BYU Idaho once he gets back. We have so much in common and its always awesome to be around him.

Here are pictures of Crater lake. The one where we are holding up Austin is because we had a race up a snowy hill and he one. And the sone with the matching scarf gloves and hat is because Austin found those in a free box somewhere and we wore them because it was kinda cold.

Off to Eugen!

On Saturday morning President called Elder Jorgensen and I and told us the info. on transfers. I will be going to Eugene to cover the Santa Clara 1st and 4th ward, and i will be a district leader. I am leaving today at 2 30.

My companion will be Elder Gowen, who came out 6 weeks after me, and has been searving on the coast. We are being double transfered into the area, which should be interesting, because the area will be brand new to each of us. I am very exited for this assignment the areas have been changed up a bit 4th ward use to have its own Elders and 1st ward Elders also had a different ward.

Elders from each of the areas have called me and told me about the areas, and it sound like a lot is going on in the areas, which will be awesome. I am really exited to be in Eugene! President said my apartment is 15 min away from the mission home. I am now sure if Santa Clara is a actualy different city than Eugene or if it is just an area. Eugene was one of the places I definitely wanted to serve so i am so greatful to be going. I am not reallly sure what it is going to be like being a district leader, but i am exited for the challenge and i will do all i can to serve the Missionaries in my district.

It has been a good week here in Medford, we started teaching two great families who are very open. I am not sure what i have said about Brittney in the past but she is still doing great, she came to church and she is definitely getting baptised, we have to change her date becasue she worked last sunday and coud not come to church. It is crazy to think, but every single one of our investigators we have right now we found tracting. Sometimes it seems like tracting is worthless but I have definitly learned that you do find those who are ready.

I am really glad that this area is picking up and I am leaving it in good shape, and with a good amount of investigators. Saturday and Sunday consisted of a lot of goodbyes, which were kind of hard, but it was awesome to sit down and talk to the people we taught and were baptised. One that particularly made me happy was talking to Joel Lewis. Joel went completely in active like a week after his baptism, becaues he fell back into doing drugs, But in the past month he has totally cleaned up and is active again. When we talked to him he thanked me for teaching him, he said that i changed his life.

I told him that he is the one that changed his life, but i was honored to be a part of it. He asked lots of questions about Missionary life and he said that he wants to searve a mission! that made me really happy, he is a great kid and I love him. I wish i could talk about all the people here but i dont have time. It is kind of hard saying goodbye to Medford I love these people so much. It will also be hard to say goodbye to Elder Jorgensen, he is doing really good, but i am kind of nervous for him with all the change, but i think he will be just fine.

I have a bunch of great pictures I am sending and i will give descriptions to them, I hope you like them

Thanks for the prayers, I love you all
Elder Covey
--
Fearless via Faith

February 2012

There is a awesome donut place in our area, that me and Elder Jorgensen love, and about a month ago i promised him that on my last Saturday here we would go there and buy a dozen donuts and eat them all, it was good but i felt really sick, here are pictures from that.

Here is a picture with me and a less active who we have been working a lot with named Jimmy, he is a really cool/completely crazy guy who lives in a trailer had loves his cats, but he is an amazing cook and we would have dinner there twice a month. He is doing good and has a goal of going to the temple and doing the work for his parents.

Here is a picture of me and Joel that i took when i said goodbye, he was late to his baptism so we did not get any pictures then.

Here also is a picture of Bro. and Sis. Trimble. They are doing great, they preparing to go to the temple and be sealed in October.

Crater Lake

Last Monday we went to Crater Lake with A recent Convert in Singles ward named Austin. Austin is one of my favorite kids in the whole world, I met him like a week after his baptism. The first time we met we were already great friends, we talked about wakeboarding and stuff.

He would come to lesson with us all the time and he was always awesome to have there! I seriously feel like he is one of my best friends and he is planning on going on a mission next September. we have already planned how we are going to hang out all the time once he is back, because he is going to go to BYU or BYU Idaho once he gets back. We have so much in common and its always awesome to be around him.

Here are pictures of Crater lake. The one where we are holding up Austin is because we had a race up a snowy hill and he one. And the sone with the matching scarf gloves and hat is because Austin found those in a free box somewhere and we wore them because it was kinda cold.

5 Guiding Principles

President Young requested all missionaries write an essay on 5 principles that will guide our lives, so I put this together in personal study one morning. It is very simple but I hoe you enjoy it. Love, Elder Covey

5 Guiding Principles

1.     Think before you act: the idea of this is that before I make a decision I think to myself “in a month will I regret doing this, in a year… will I ever regret doing this act?” if I know I will regret it, then I choose not to do it.

2.     Fearless Via Faith: This is a saying I came up with at the MTC. Fear has held me back from a lot of good in my life. I know that God did not give me the spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7) I know for me to become the person I want to be I need to be fearless. I know the only way for me to become fearless is through trust and faith in Christ.

3.     God does not intend for me (one of his sons) to be mediocre: I know that I am a spirit child of Heavenly Father. He did not make me so I would become mediocre. He has given me the ability and the potential to change the world in a positive way. Because of that I always try to keep processing in all the things I do. I am not ne to stand still.

4.     “Therefore, or what have ye to boast”? Mosiah 2:24 I know what King Benjamin taught was true that everything we have and everything we are comes from God, and that on our own we are nothing. I know it is important to be humble, and to thank Him for all He has given us.

5.     Everyone deserves My love: everyone on his earth is a spirit child of our Heavenly Father. Everyone deserves to be carted for and treated right. No one deserves to be unrighteously judged.  

Snow in Medford

Today we woke up and there was about a inch of snow on the ground! which was kind of exiting but it was not nice Utah powder it was ugly slushy stuff. 

It has been a really good week, We set a baptismal date for our investigator Brittney. Brittney is 20 and we will be attending the singles ward. We found her tracting! i totally was impressed to know on her door while riding on our bikes one day. She is from California and her best friend is Mormon and that is the main reason she let us in. It goes to show what a impact a good influence can do on someone. Brittney will be baptised after i leave.

We have a shorter time to email today because it was not working when we first came because of the snow. and we are going to crater lake to today, which i am exited for

I love you all and thanks for the prayers

Elder Covey

-- 

Fearless via Faith

P.S. to who ever gets this i would love a letter. apparently a lot of people get these and i would love to hear what is going on in your lives

Doing Great

It has been another great week. It is crazy to think that i have been
here in Medford for 5 months. Transfers are coming up in a couple week
and it looks like i will be going. I will most likely leave Medford on
the 21st. And i wont figure out where i am going or if I am going
untill the 18th.

It's kinda exiting to think about, so we will see. It
will be hard to leave Medford I really like it here, but the hardest
part will be leaving the people I have come really close with. There
are certain people that it will be very hard to say goodbye to.

I am very exited for the future and i know that with the help of Lord
i can do whatever i am assigned to do where ever I go.
I wish i could write more but i am out of time for today. I love you
all, thanks for the prayers

Elder Covey


-- Fearless Via Faith