Ethan's 37th Letter & Photos - Transfer back to Necochea, Argentina Sept. 22, 2014

  Dear Family,

Well transfers came and Ill got Transferred again, back to Necochea but to a different Branch. I'm with an Elder named Elder Porter Hansen from L.A. California, I have two or more pictures with him. Its funny because we are both the same size and height. Hes just the skinner form haha. Its the funniest when we are walking in the streets and all the people are staring us down because its two HUGE Blond guys walking very fast with dressed up in white shirts and ties. Everyone looks at us, but we just laugh because we have never had companions our same size. He is a great guy and has a Energy and desire for the Mission Work that is awesome. He helps me a lot with focusing me in the work and having fun, and we have only had 1 day together, and two weeks back 4 days of exchanges. WE are going to see and make Miracle happen. 

  Not much happened this last week in my last area....

  I have seen both types of Missionaries, The obedient and the not so much. (Morgan knows what I'm talking about) I have never been a Robot type obedient and i never was the other type, but I AM ME! I am trying to be the best Missionary that I can be, and with the Atonement it makes up for the rest. I have grown to have testimony of the Atonement, it has grown so much in the mission and i am eternally grateful for the opportunities that i am having here in MY Mission. I know that my mission is hard and that i have had many people tell me the it is one of the Hardest missions in the South America, with one of the most Strict President, but when i have finished my time I will be that Diamond that I talked about in my Farewell talk. I have came to find that My Mission will do one of two things to the Missionaries,  It will either Break them, and they will return home the same people who didn't learn anything and just stuck out the time, OR it will MAKE you, MY Mission make Boys into Men, if we let it happen. To many times we take this for granted. 

  I will not let the mission Break me, but i will definitely let the Extreme Pressure and Extreme Heat and the hard hits that come, help Make me into the Man that God know i can become. The process of My Misson is the same process of making a piece coal into Diamond through Extreme Heat and Extreme Pressure and a long period of time, My Mission is Making me a very large piece of Coal into A Diamond through the same Extreme Heat and Pressure, but the difference is the Time. I only have Two Years to develop and getting the ending Result. My Mission is Extreme!! 

  I understand that this sounds a little Prideful and blunt about My Mission, but its not Pride if its the Truth and Fact! ;) 

 I have the best time of my life to become a better man in this time that i have, I am so thankful to my Father in Heaven for the chance that i have to be a Missionary, and to wear his name on my chest. I know that the Church is true, and i know that Jesus Christ Lives and answers our prayers.

 Thank you to all of you for your support and love!

I love you all so much!!

Con Amor su siervo fiel, amigo, oso(osito), hijo,

Elder Ethan C. Durocher!!

Elder Porter Hansen

Ethans 36th letter - Loberia, Argentina Sept. 15, 2014

Dear Family,

This week was pretty good, I was in Exchanges the whole week with Elder Hansen, he is from California. The joy of being comps with a District Leader haha. Elder Hansen is an Awesome Elder, he has 8 Months in the mission but is one of the best Missionaries that i know! We had a great week, and he helped me A LOT!! There has got to be something about being with someone from your own country that can just help a lot more, I'm not sure how to explain it. He is the same age as me but he went to BYU first and then came on the mission, He walked on at BYU to play football, so that's cool. We taught a lot of people this week when we were together. 

  During the week we went by Oscars and he was way excited and all but by Thursday or Friday he had talked to a family member and changed his mind about being baptized and didn't show up at church this Sunday.... Please pray for Oscar that he can be baptized this weekend Sept. 20th. 

  Saturday Morning we got up at 4:30 Am so that we could take a bus and travel for an hour to Necochea for a District Service Project. So 4 of the 5 Branches in our District( like a stake but just smaller) came together and we went to a elementary school to Restore a lot of the things that they have, we painted a lot of things, and we pulled weeds, and carried a ton of sand to fill a sand box that they have. It was a good time. I have pictures of it, and then other pictures of when we were on our way to the service with the other missionaries and we had got lost.... hahaha

  After we had a New Convert take us hunting....hahaha its a little different then the type that we do in the States. The have these dogs that are used a lot for Dog Racing, that are super skinny, but super fast!!! We have the dogs on a rope, that we can quickly let the dogs of the rope when they need to run. So we walked in a field with 6 of theses dogs and had them held by the collars basically and when a rabbit took of running, these 6 dogs just take off!!!!!!!  They have to run and chase down the Rabbits,and Rabbits are SUPER FAST!! so it means that these dogs are super fast too. It was a interesting experience, also the guys son killed a pheasant. It was a great week.

I love you all so much!!!! 

Con Amor Elder Ethan C. Durocher!

 Wow!  The photos are correctly oriented!  Whooottt!

Mom's Letter - David & Lindsay in Logan Sept 13, 2014

Hello Elder & Family!

This is one of those Sundays when I try to think of what occurred earlier in the week it doesn't fill my mind, so I suppose I'll start with today and work backward!

Most interesting was that I slept deep and soundly at Davids house!  I don't usually sleep well outside of my own bedroom, but thankfully I had a great nights sleep.  Waking up at 5am Saturday may have been the reason as Morgan and I headed for Logan to attend the Temple with Lindsay & David as she received her Endowment.  After the baby is born in December, which is the year mark of when they married, they will then be sealed!  WhoooHOooo!  Sooooo..., probably January 2015 sometime.  Today was so pleasant to spend quiet time with Lindsay and David and in the afternoon we took a drive up to Providence Canyon to a waterfall that was beautiful and nearby were some hill climbs that David took the Jeep up!  FUN!  Earlier in the day we watched some videos on YouTube of monster truck mud bogs, so that must have gotten David in the mood to get the Jeep in some dirt!  Haaa!  With the colors changing in the canyon it was a wonderful drive.  It was fun to see the things they have collected for the baby too! Thanks for everything Dave & Lindsay!

Saturday started early, but the reward was being in the Temple with Lindsay and David and her family, including her parents, and grandparents and an Aunt & Uncle.  It's a slice of heaven to be in such lovely surrounds, but to see your children in the House of The Lord it is such joy.  We got some photos after the session and headed for lunch at a Brazilian buffet in Logan.  The food was wonderful and getting to 'talk story' with the DeTorbal family was very cool.  As we arrived back at David's for dessert, Nick and family arrived as they were visiting family from Ogden and had come to USU for a football game.  It was great to see Cambree and Hayden with some cute photos of playing airplane on my feet.  After they came back from the game, Morgan left with Nick back to Ogden to be nearby to attend Church on Sunday with his girlfriend Camrie LaBaron who was speaking in her Stake as a recently returned missionary.  Her birthday was Sunday so Saturday afternoon Morgan, Lindsay and I went to Walmart and made a birthday basket of fun things, including a picture collage of the two of them with recent activities.

Friday was a delight to meet Avery's father Craig!  He had business in Reno and decided to fly to SLC to see his son's, Gentry and Avery while he was this close!  I was glad to meet him and share a few stories and soon he and Avery left to hook up with Gentry and head back to SLC to pick up a friend of Avery's at the airport.  Morgan wasn't able to connect with him due to being at a ward outing with Camrie that was at the same time.  Later in the evening put Craig in SLC with Avery so they didn't get to see each other..... darn!  I found out it was Avery's birthday and I made him a coconut milk white cake that turned out very good!  Happy 22nd Birthday to Avery!

Much of the work-week is same 'ol -- same 'ol so not any big news there.  I did my visiting teaching and mine came as well so things are in good shape for September!  The fridge got repaired so all are glad to have ice and water dispensed. 

My next GD lesson is on Isaiah.  I'm really looking forward to this as I'll get to study in depth an area I've just let 'fly by' me in the past.  As LDS people we have an advantage to understand his writings as we know the Plan of Salvation, we have modern Prophets, and the Book of Mormon.  If you thought of Shakespeare and his particular writing style of being 'Old English', then use the same tolerance of Isaiah as being of a similar writing style.  He tells of the present by speaking of the past and future simultaneously!  This is going to be an awesome segment of the Old Testament!  I've got plenty of time to prepare as today was Regional Conf, next week the Ogden Temple Dedication takes the place of the Sunday meetings, then my teaching partner has his turn, then General Conf. so the week after that....I'm in! 

Have a great week everyone and be safe!  While driving to Logan on Saturday morning, Morgan and I cam upon a recent motorcycle wreck with responders already there.  The rider was still on the ground, looked to be alive, but wasn't getting up as he was huddled toward the cement barrier.  We immediately said a prayer for this man and his family that all would be well and asked a special blessing on the motorcycle riders in our family to be safe.  Please everyone be aware and considerate of motorcycle riders, as you travel nearby them!

Love, Mom

 Mikes new rental home in Logan.  Move in will be Sept. 27th